The Art of Letting Go
by Tricia Belle
Summary: It's no secret that Riley and Lucas are in a relationship. What is a secret, though, is Riley's resurfacing insecurities from middle school. Her internal conflict results in her acting strange around her friends and ultimately breaks up with Lucas. But how long will she be able to keep her secret from him before it all blows up in their faces?
1. Chapter One

**Welcome, readers! Before you start reading my new multi-chaptered fic, let me just get some things across. The first two chapters are kind of boring, not going to lie, but I wanted some fluff before chaos ensues in future chapters. But once we reach chapter three, it should get a lot more interesting. Also, I took the opportunity to include some foreshadowing in this chapter and it's very obvious.**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter One

"Lucas is here!" An excited Auggie announced when he opened the door to reveal the boy who had been dating his older sister for almost two years now.

"Hi, buddy," Lucas greeted, giving Auggie a hug. The two had become good friends ever since Lucas started dating Riley. Lucas became a big brother figure to Auggie, something that Auggie's always wanted. Lucas would play with Auggie when Riley wouldn't, and he's been teaching him how to play baseball with the help of Cory. Lucas would even offer that Auggie tag along when he would go out with Riley, which Auggie appreciated. Auggie's close relationship with Lucas assured him that Lucas wasn't stealing Riley from him, a recurring fear when someone got to close to his sister.

Once Lucas was inside the apartment, Auggie closed the door. The two went to sit on the couch where Auggie previously was watching TV before he let Lucas in.

"Just a minute!" Riley yelled from her bedroom. It was date night for the young couple. They loved date night, a night where they could get away from their friends is a night they enjoyed. Don't get them wrong, they loved their friends, but they also loved spending time with each other without hearing comments about their public displays of affection, which were very mild anyway.

Cory and Topanga entered the living room to greet their daughter's longtime boyfriend. They liked Lucas, too. Topanga was more vocal about this than Cory, though. Whenever Lucas was over at the Matthews's apartment, Topanga would be very catering to him, offering him food or offering to take him home when he would stay over late. Cory, on the other hand, had to play the overprotective father role to make sure that Lucas knew his boundaries when it came to Riley.

"Hi, Lucas," The two greeted in unison.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, how are you doing?" Lucas smiled nervously. He knew Riley's parents for years now, but he still felt intimidated by them.

Cory responded by groaning.

"He's stressed because of all the tests he has to grade," Topanga excused her husband's strange noise and patted Cory on the back. "I'm great, though. Thanks for asking."

"Daddy, don't scare Lucas off," Auggie said, hugging Lucas's arm. The action earns a chuckle from Lucas. "I like him."

"I like him, too," Cory said. Lucas was pleasantly surprised. In the amount of years that Lucas knew Cory, he never once admitted that he liked him.

"Really, sir?" Lucas raised his eyebrow.

Cory nodded to confirm.

"Besides, I don't think I could scare this kid off," Cory continued, turning to Auggie. "I've been trying to for _years_ , and yet he's still here."

"Huh, you've never admitted you liked me before," Lucas said. "I'm flattered, sir."

"I've liked you since you transferred to my class," Cory confessed to Lucas. "You're a good kid, Lucas. If you've ever gotten the impression that I didn't like you, that's just my fatherly instincts kicking in."

"You don't have to worry, I'm taking good care of her," Lucas replied.

"We know," Topanga answered with a smile. "And I've liked you since Cory told me about you."

"I would've thought that Riley would've told you about me first," Lucas remarked. "You two are lovely parents, Riley's lucky to have you."

Topanga smiled and gave Lucas a quick hug. She's very fond of him. The relationship he shared with her daughter was reminiscent of her relationship with Cory.

"And we're lucky Riley has you!" Auggie chimed in with a smile.

"I'm going to get started on dinner," Topanga stated. "Do you want anything, Lucas?"

"No, thank you," Lucas politely answered. "Riley and I are going to go out for dinner before we head to the movies."

"Alright, just let me know if you want a glass of water or something," Topanga offered before going to the kitchen.

"I'm gonna continue grading tests," Cory said. They were only a few weeks into the beginning of the new school year, but Cory insisted on giving out quizzes based on what his students learned the year before. Cory got up and went to the kitchen table where folders of tests were scattered across.

Topanga gazed at Lucas from the kitchen with a smile before turning to her husband.

"What?" Cory asked.

"Don't they remind you of us?" Topanga questioned.

"Auggie and Lucas?" Cory said.

"No, Lucas and Riley," Topanga replied in a 'duh' tone.

"Oh, them," Cory answered. "In what way?"

"When we were younger," Topanga said, "the innocence of young love. The way he looks at her, the way she looks at him. The way they believe in each other so much and that they can tell each other anything. And how they won't let anything get in the way of their relationship."

Topanga paused.

"Actually, wait, forget that last part. That doesn't remind me of us," she continued.

"What do you mean? We never let anything get in the way," Cory argued, marking one of his student's tests.

"Lauren?" Topanga scoffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"We're married now," Cory reminded her calmly. A couple of years ago, Cory would have panicked when Topanga would mention her name. "We overcame that obstacle."

"True."

"And just because they won't let anything get in the way of their relationship doesn't mean that it won't happen," Cory replied, taking his attention off the paper to look at his wife.

"Can you just be supportive of our daughter's relationship?" Topanga questioned.

"I am!" Cory defended himself. "I literally just told Lucas that I liked him. I never did that before! All I'm saying is that rough patches are inevitable in any relationship. Remember all those fights we had?"

"Yes, I do recall some of them," Topanga answered.

"Well, if you do think they resemble us, you'll know that they'll be going through that as well," Cory pointed out.

Topanga sighed. She knew Cory was right.

"Now don't get me wrong, I really doubt that Lucas would ever hurt our little girl," Cory added. "But I still think they're gonna have conflicts. It's only a matter of time."

"Why do you always have to be right?" Topanga questioned as she walked over to him. She kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm a teacher," Cory responded. "I have to be right. I wish I wasn't, but our Riley and Lucas have _a lot_ to learn from each other."

On the other side of the room, Lucas and Auggie watched TV as they waited for Riley to finish getting ready.

"She takes forever," Auggie informed him, noticing Lucas's shaking leg.

"I know," Lucas agreed. "But I don't mind."

"You must really like her if you're okay with how long she takes to get ready," Auggie commented.

"Yeah, kid, I love her," Lucas replied.

"Gross." Auggie made a disgusted face.

"You say it's gross now, but you'll feel the same way about a girl when you get older," Lucas laughed.

"I've been married to Ava Morgenstern for _fifty-five years_ ," Auggie reminded him with a scoff. He leaned in to Lucas and whispered, "That's longer than my parents."

Lucas chuckled. He always thought that Auggie was a lot wiser than his age told him to be. But then again, he was raised by Cory and Topanga.

"We should hang out again soon, bud," Lucas suggested. He didn't have any younger siblings, or a brother, so he liked spending time with his girlfriend's little brother.

"I get it, spending too much time with Riley does that to ya," Auggie commented, once again earning a laugh from Lucas. "I'm the better Matthews."

"I'm ready!" Riley announced as she entered the room. She was wearing a baby blue flowy top under a faux leather jacket with a pair of skinny jeans. She wore her hair straight tucked behind her ears and parted down the middle. Her makeup was very simple. Her eyeliner was winged, she wore mascara, and a light pink blush stained her cheeks. On her lips she wore a light pink lip gloss that complemented her look. Lucas had seen Riley dressed like this before, but still he couldn't help but stare.

"Took you long enough," Auggie remarked.

"Shut up, Auggie," Riley replied, walking over to the two boys on the couch. "You like hanging out with him, you should be thanking me that you got time to spend with him."

Auggie responded by sticking his tongue out at her. Riley chuckled and then turned to her boyfriend.

"Let's go, babe," Riley said.

"Yes, princess," Lucas answered. He stood up from the couch and offered Riley his hand. She gladly placed it in hers and intertwined their fingers.

"Bye, kids, have fun!" Topanga yelled from the kitchen. Riley and Lucas turned in the direction of the kitchen, where Topanga was chopping vegetables and Cory silently cursing himself over the amount of papers he had to go through.

"Have her home by ten thirty!" Cory reminded Lucas. But he didn't have to. Lucas never kept Riley out later than ten, especially on a school night. New York City was a strange city, especially at night, and he knew some areas were not safe for people their age to be hanging out around so late.

"They're always back before then," Topanga pointed out.

"Bye!" Riley said as she pulled Lucas out of the apartment.

The two headed out into the streets of Greenwich Village and walked towards the nearest subway station. They decided they wanted to go to Times Square for their date, since they never usually go there. Sometimes they liked to play tourists in their own city.

They had dinner at a popular pizzeria near the movie theatre, which was very convenient. They talked, like they usually did when they were together. Having conversations was what their whole relationship was based off, apart from the strong feelings they had for each other.

"I don't want to watch a chick flick, babe," Lucas complained as they left the pizzeria with linked arms.

Riley lightly tugged on Lucas's arm.

"We made a compromise," she reminded him sternly. Although they loved watching movies together, they had differences when it came to what type of movie they would watch. They decided early on in their relationship that they would alternate choosing the movie. "Besides, we always like the movies we watch, no matter what genre."

"Really?" Lucas was not convinced. "You like the scary movies we watch?"

"Well, no," Riley admitted sheepishly. "But I like them because you like them."

"You're cute," Lucas smiled and placed a kiss on Riley's forehead as they approached the theatre.

"And I like it when you protect me during them," she added. During any scary movie she watched with Lucas, he always ended up with his arms wrapped tightly around her while she buried her face in his chest.

Lucas released Riley's hand from his arm and put his arm around her instead, pulling her closer to him. Riley looked up at him with bright eyes.

"On second thought," Riley said, "can we watch a scary movie instead?"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I decided that at the end of each chapter, I'll include what to expect in the next chapter. Please review!**

 **Next: the clique six attend the school carnival.**


	2. Chapter Two

**I wanted to get this up before the weekend so I could focus on my school work. I'll try my best to update consistently but I make no promises!**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Two

Sleeping through the night after watching a scary movie was something that did not happen for Riley. She was someone who got scared very easily, especially when vulnerable. She tossed and turned all night, trying to shake the scary thoughts out of her head. She did, however, smile to herself whenever she was reminded that her inability to sleep was caused by her being protected by Lucas.

"Did you sleep well?" Lucas questioned when he met up with her on the subway on the way to school.

"No," Riley answered honestly. "I couldn't sleep. I kept picturing that scary clown in my room."

"I'm sorry," Lucas apologized.

"Why are you sorry? I'm the one who wanted to watch the scary movie."

"No," Lucas argued. "You just wanted me to basically cuddle with you."

Riley and Lucas walked hand-in-hand onto the Abigail Adams High football field once they reached the high school. The student council was hosting a fundraiser in the form of a carnival. Inflatable games, booths, and carnival rides covered the area of the field. Students seemed to be having fun, partly because classes were canceled today to make time for the carnival. Riley was super excited about the event, not only was the school raising money for the less fortunate, something Riley was always passionate about, but she got to have fun while doing it. Lucas shared Riley's enthusiasm about the whole thing, and he was also eager about impressing her by winning her prizes.

The two walked around the carnival for a few minutes until they found their four other best friends. Maya, Farkle, Zay and Smackle were standing by a table near the cotton candy stand where they were eating, well, cotton candy. A carnival staple.

"Peaches!" Maya greeted her best friend enthusiastically with a hug. Ever since the triangle ended and Riley and Lucas started dating, Maya had found herself in a rivalry with Lucas over Riley. Although Riley had promised that things wouldn't change between her and Maya, Maya knew it was inevitable that she would be spending more time with Lucas than her. Maya didn't mind too much, she knew she and Riley had a friendship way too strong for any boy to break.

"Peaches!" Riley exclaimed back after they parted from the hug. "Did you get me cotton candy?!"

"Of course, honey!" Maya replied, taking an untouched stick of cotton candy from the table.

"Wow, not even an aggressive hug from Maya could separate those two," Smackle commented while, pointing to Lucas and Riley's still intertwined fingers.

"Nope," Lucas smiled.

"Ooh, gimme!" Riley released Lucas's hand and grabbed the cotton candy from Maya.

"But apparently, cotton candy can," Zay commented with a chuckle.

After finishing their cotton candy, the group decided on playing some games. They first settled on ring toss, as it was the first game booth they passed. Farkle and Lucas were playing against each other, trying to win for their girlfriends, while Maya and Zay decided to play against each other just for the sake of friendly competition. The result of the two couples in the group had pushed Maya and Zay closer together. They thought it would be dumb to distance themselves from the group out of fear of feeling left out, so they decided that they wouldn't mind each other's company when Farkle and Smackle would flirt with each other using intellectual metaphors that no one understood, or when Lucas and Riley would just stare stupidly into each other's eyes.

As they continued exploring the crowded carnival, they stumbled upon a dunk tank. Students crowded around the dunk tank, as it was advertised that teachers would be the one getting wet. It was only two dollars per ball, a deal that students would be taking advantage of. Riley and her friends were surprised to see which teacher was currently sitting inside—Cory.

"Is that your dad?" Maya laughed. She pushed through the crowd to get to the front, and the others followed behind her.

"Oh my god, it is!" Riley exclaimed. Cory hadn't told Riley about this beforehand, for the fear that her friends would come and dunk him.

Once Cory noticed his daughter and her friends at the front of the crowd, he shrieked.

"What are you guys doing here?! You're not supposed to be here!" Cory said in a panic.

"It's a school carnival, sir," Farkle answered. "You know, for the _whole school_."

"Yes, I know, Farkle," Cory replied. "But I meant what are you guys doing here at the dunk tank?!"

"Well," Maya began with a suspicious smile, "to dunk you, of course."

"And that's why I didn't tell you kids I was going to be here," Cory scoffed. When he volunteered (or, was voluntold by his colleagues that were also part of the activity) to be sitting in the tank, he didn't mind getting soaked at the hands of other students. But when it came to his daughter and her friends, he did mind. He liked her friends, but they liked to humiliate him every chance they got.

"Maya," Riley said sternly. She knew what her best friend was thinking.

"Yes, Peaches?" Maya answered sweetly, turning to the brunette.

"Promise you won't dunk my dad," Riley ordered. Maya pouted.

"But that's why he's in there," Maya whined. "If you look at it this way, it's a fundraiser, right? All the money made from this is going to charity. So basically, dunking your dad is for a good cause!"

"Uh oh," Cory said to himself. He knew that once Maya mentioned the good cause of it all, Riley would be more than willing to participate.

Riley's eyes lit up.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Riley's voice trailed off. "Give me a ball!"

The teacher in charge of the dunk tank handed Riley a baseball. Riley shot Lucas a look. He nodded and dug into his pocket and pulled out two dollar bills and gave it to the teacher for Riley.

"No, Riley!" Cory protested from inside the tank. He didn't know why he did, he knew it was too late. He was just going to have to suck it up and prepare himself for the cold water that waited underneath him.

The others stepped back, as Riley was getting into her zone. The determination in her eyes said it all. She wanted revenge for all the bad things her father caused in her life since the day she was born. They were very few, but she needed a good reason to want to dunk her father so bad, apart from the charity aspect.

After examining the target for a few seconds, Riley threw the ball. She pitched the ball the way Lucas had taught her during one of his lessons with Auggie. Lucas smiled to himself, proud that she was putting what he taught her into good use. The softball hit the bull's eye and there went Cory plunging into the cold water.

The crowd cheered for Riley, earning hugs from her friends.

"That felt great!" Riley declared. She didn't even wait for Cory to resurface in the water, she continued to explore the fair with her friends.

"Looks like those baseball lessons are paying off," Zay complimented Riley's perfect throw as the group walked towards more games.

"Those lessons are for Auggie," Farkle reminded Zay.

"Sometimes I'm there and I get bored," Riley shrugged.

"Ooh, the water gun game!" Smackle broadcasted enthusiastically, pointing to a booth they were approaching. It was the game where players shoot a water gun onto a target while a pole rose to track the progress of the player. The first one to reach the top, won. Smackle liked this game compared to other carnival games because there was a better chance of winning. "Let's play, you guys!"

So the gang played the game. It was a close race, but Farkle ultimately won. He received a stuffed monkey which he then offered to Smackle.

"That's not fair," Maya complained. "You have steady hands compared to the rest of us."

"What can I say? Doing science experiments helped," Farkle shrugged.

As they walked through another part of the carnival, Riley noticed a stuffed unicorn hanging at a basketball booth.

"I want that!" Riley declared with hearts in her eyes, pointing to the stuffed toy.

"You heard her, Lucas," Zay nudged his best friend. "Win her the unicorn!"

"You know if you don't get it for her she's going to complain about it for _days_ ," Maya said. When Riley wanted something, Riley wanted it.

"Yeah, and no one wants that," Farkle continued.

Lucas was reluctant to play the basketball game. Although he wanted to impress Riley, he knew that some of the carnival games were rigged. Basketball carnival games? Totally rigged. The hoop isn't even circular, it's usually egg-shaped, which would prevent a lot of throws from going in the basket.

"Look what Farkle won me," Smackle taunted Lucas by waving her stuffed monkey in his face. And that about did it.

Without another word, Lucas approached the booth and smacked a couple of bills on the table. He was given five basketballs. Five chances to win Riley a unicorn.

Lucas's friends and girlfriend cheered him on, which helped with his confidence. It took all five throws, but he finally got the ball in the basket.

"Yay!" Riley said enthusiastically, grabbing the stuffed unicorn and hugging Lucas tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love it!"

"That's my boy," Zay commented and patted Lucas on the back after Riley let him go.

The six friends resumed roaming the carnival grounds, stopping whenever something caught someone's attention.

"Let's go on the Ferris wheel," Riley suggested when the group approached the classic carnival ride.

"Great," Maya groaned. "We're getting paired off again and I'm stuck with Zay."

"You know I'm right here," Zay replied, offended.

"Yeah, I know," Maya replied. "It's not so bad hanging out with you, it's just that I miss Josh."

Riley rolled her eyes. She had accepted that her best friend and uncle had feelings for each other, but it was weird when Maya would tell her about her 'dates' with Josh. It was weird to think that Maya could be her aunt one day. She already found it odd that Maya was technically her cousin now that Shawn and Katy were married.

The group got in line for the Ferris wheel and paired off when it was time to load the gondolas. Maya and Zay went first, Farkle and Smackle went second, and Riley and Lucas went on last.

Riley enjoyed the view from the top of the Ferris wheel, which looked over the entire football field, as the Ferris wheel was placed in the middle of the field.

"This view is great!" Riley said, hugging her unicorn as she looked around.

"Not as great as this view," Lucas playfully argued, pulling out his phone to take a photo of Riley without her noticing.

"Hey!" Riley said when she realized the flash on Lucas's phone went off.

"Don't worry, you look beautiful," Lucas assured her, showing her his phone before changing the photo to be his background.

"Aw," Riley smiled before giving Lucas a quick peck on the lips.

The ride lasted for a reasonable amount of time, considering the amount of people waiting in line for their turn. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

As Lucas and Riley stepped off the Ferris wheel and walked through the exit while holding hands, a girl with red hair accidentally brushed her. Riley was about to turn around to apologize to the girl, but she was already with her group of friends. Riley couldn't help but notice them giving her dirty looks. She turned back to Lucas and donned a concerned look on her face. Lucas couldn't help but notice.

"What's wrong, Riles?" Lucas questioned as they stopped walking so he could focus on Riley's troubled expression.

"Those girls over there were giving me dirty looks," Riley replied. "Is there something on my face?"

"No," Lucas answered. "But there's a frown where a smile should be."

Riley couldn't help but to smile at her boyfriend's comment.

"Don't even worry about it, babe," Lucas said.

"What if they don't like me?" Riley's smile turned into a frown.

"They don't even know you," Lucas pointed out. "And what an unfortunate thing that is. Knowing you is the best thing that happened to me."

* * *

 **What was your favorite part of this chapter? Apart from the Rucas fluff, I thoroughly enjoyed writing the dunk tank scene. Hope you guys enjoyed! Please review! They motivate me to update faster!**

 **Next: Riley gets a text message from an unknown number.**


	3. Chapter Three

**We're finally on chapter three! Things are going to start moving a lot faster from here on out. Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Three

"Daddy, can we go to school together this morning?" Riley asked as the Matthews family had breakfast.

"Aren't you going to wait for Maya?" Cory answered his daughter's question with another question. "School doesn't start till nine. I usually get to school by eight."

Riley was never early to school. It's not that she didn't want to be early, it's that she had to wait for Maya. Maya liked to take her time when it came to going to school, a place she didn't like.

"I texted her already," Riley replied, shoving a spoonful of cereal into her mouth. "I need to go to the library to check out some books for my English essay. I want to start early."

"Alright, here are your lunches," Topanga declared as she placed three brown paper bags on the kitchen table with corresponding letters on them for her two kids and her husband.

"Did you pack me extra?" Auggie asked. "Ava's mom has no time to pack her lunch lately so I've been sharing with her."

Topanga nodded. She knew Ava had been feeling neglected by her mom ever since she started dating a new man. Topanga had grown fond of Ava through the years, minimizing the amount of times she threw her out of the apartment in frustration.

"Alright, time for school!" Cory announced as he stood up and placed his dirty dishes in the sink. He kissed Topanga on the cheek and ruffled Auggie's curly hair.

Riley followed her father and also placed her bowl in the sink. She kissed her mother and Auggie goodbye.

Ever since Riley had entered high school the amount of time she spent with Cory outside of the classroom was very minimal. She would always be in the company of her friends, and Cory had a lot more students and grading to deal with. Cory was ecstatic that Riley had asked to go to school together that morning. He jumped at every chance he got to spend time with his daughter. She was growing up, and he wanted to hold on to the little girl that always wanted to spend time with him. Riley was glad she joined her father on the way to school, too.

The subway was a lot more crowded than she was used to, as she usually left an hour later than Cory, but she liked to people watch. Not in a creepy way, but in a way that made Riley realize that everyone had their own stories.

Once they arrived to Abigail Adams High, Cory parted with his daughter and headed for his classroom to prepare his lessons for the day. Riley went straight to the library. She had become friends with the librarian, since she would spend her free period in the library to read books when she didn't have a test to cram for. She searched for the books and sat at a table to go through them. For her essay, she had to gather from different texts from one author and compare them, so she only wrote notes on important things from the books she had sprawled across the table in front of her.

Riley began to write notes for her essay, since she had lots of time before the first bell rang. Whilst getting lost in her thoughts, she got a text message. She had assumed it was from one of her friends, but the message was from a blocked number.

 _From Unknown  
_ _You don't deserve him._

Riley shrugged it off. Maybe the sender just sent it to the wrong number, and she didn't feel like sending a text back to correct them. She focused back on her notes again before another interruption from her phone. Another text.

 _From Unknown  
_ _I don't get it. What does Lucas Friar see in you?  
_ _You're weird and you're not even that pretty._

Now, this message she couldn't just shrug off. The sender had the right number. Words like the ones she just read reminded her of a dark time. But since getting bullied in middle school, she'd learned not to overthink about what other people said about her. Riley made herself believe that it could just be a prank, though deep down she was afraid she'd have to deal with a bully again.

Riley thought about the message all morning. She'd been called weird before, something she'd learned to like about herself because it made her unique. But not pretty? That hit her self-esteem in a whole new way. She never had any issues with her physical appearance, apart from being insecure about her height.

"Riley?" Lucas snapped her fingers in front of Riley's face. The two were sitting at a table in the cafeteria during lunch.

"Huh?" Riley responded, quickly returning from her thoughts.

"You weren't even listening," he commented. "That's very unlike you."

"Oh, sorry," Riley apologized. "I'm just stressing about my English essay."

"Why? You're good at English," Lucas encouraged.

"Writer's block," Riley shrugged, then quickly changed the subject. "What were you talking about?"

"The nature club's trip to Mount Sun Lodge," Lucas replied. "Our two-year anniversary is coming up." Oh, yes. Lucas had officially asked Riley to be his girlfriend during that trip in their freshman year. Apart from having their own celebration for their anniversaries, they liked going back there to reminisce.

"Yay!" Riley squealed. She seemed to forget about her negative thoughts when she talked to Lucas. "Huh. You know what I _just_ realized?"

"Hm?" Lucas urged for her to continue.

"My parents hate that ski lodge because it almost tore them apart," Riley declared, "but for us, we love the ski lodge because it's where something good started."

"There's only one Cory and Topanga," Lucas reminded her.

"And there's one Lucas and Riley," Riley said and playfully stuck out her tongue.

Riley was put into a pretty good mood for the rest of the day thanks to Lucas. She had forgotten about the nasty text messages and was able to focus in her afternoon classes. She was glad, because she had history with Cory after lunch and it would be way too obvious to him if she was still preoccupied with her thoughts.

After school, Riley had texted her friends to let them know that they didn't have to wait for her and that she'd meet them at Topanga's for their after school snack. Riley had to talk to her English teacher to clarify on some things regarding her essay. Then she stopped by her locker to gather some books to take home. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She managed to get a hold of her phone once she closed her locker. She unlocked her phone and opened the message. Someone had sent her a photo of her and Lucas from lunch a few hours ago. Derogatory doodles were drawn on Riley's face in the photo, with a caption in all capitals that said, 'NOT WORTH IT.'

Riley took a deep breath, closed her eyes and slowly counted to ten. It's what she told Lucas to do whenever he felt like he was about to lose his temper. She didn't even reach five when she felt anger turn into tears. She opened her eyes and wiped the pooling tears with her sleeve. She was glad that the halls were empty. She never liked it when people saw her in a vulnerable state.

She took another deep breath before forcing a smile. She threw her phone in her purse and headed towards the exit.

"Hi, honey," Topanga cheerfully greeted when Riley entered the bakery.

"Hi, Mom," Riley returned the greeting and planted a kiss on Topanga's cheek.

"Want anything?" Topanga asked.

"Green tea, please," Riley requested.

"Alright, sweetie," Topanga smiled. She walked to the counter to prepare the tea.

Riley went to join her friends at their usual spot. She sat beside Lucas, who put his arm around her. She leaned in and rested her head in his neck. She felt safe in his arms, and again she somewhat forgot about the messages for a bit.

"Took you long enough," Maya commented.

"Sorry," Riley apologized. "Told you I was going to take long."

"Anyway, so now me and Farkle are co-presidents of the science club," Smackle announced. "After the seniors from last year graduated, there was no competition!"

"It's great, huh?" Farkle smiled proudly.

While the rest of the group were discussing about what happened at school that day, Riley opted to stay out of the conversation. Instead, she just stared off into space. No one seemed to notice her lack of comments. However, Lucas pulled her in closer to him at some point.

Riley couldn't sleep that night. She so badly wanted to fall into a deep sleep, so that she could forget about the real world for a while, but her mind wouldn't let her. All she thought about were the mean texts and she couldn't help but agree with them. What _did_ Lucas see in her? Why _isn't_ she pretty? Was she worth it? These thoughts haunted her all night.

* * *

 **Next: Riley skips class. The group notices.**


	4. Chapter Four

**There's a surprise in this chapter, not sure if you guys are going to enjoy it though. But Maya and Lucas fight over Riley, so there's that! It's my favorite scene in the entire chapter. Also, thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it.**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Four

"Farkle!" Maya yelled when she saw Farkle at his locker and ran towards him.

"What's up?" Farkle questioned, turning to face the blonde.

"Have you seen Riley this morning?" Maya asked in a panic.

"No, I thought you would be with her," Farkle answered. He made a good point. It was a known fact that Maya always showed up to school with Riley, unless noted otherwise.

"I went over there this morning but the bay window was locked and Auggie said she left," Maya tells him.

"I think you're overreacting, Maya," Farkle stated. "Maybe she got to school early."

"No, Farkle," Maya argued. "Yesterday I didn't show up with Riley to school because she texted me earlier that morning that she wanted to go to school early to start on her English essay. That's the thing. She _always_ tells me if we're not coming to school together."

"I see what you mean," Farkle sighed. It was too early for Maya to be breathing down his neck. "But remember, it's Riley. She never misses school unless you ask her to skip class with you."

Maya understood what Farkle was saying. And he was probably right.

"Hi, Farkle. Hi, Peaches!" Riley greeted when she approached the two, as if on cue.

"Oh, thank god you're okay!" Maya exclaimed in relief as she pulled Riley into a hug, earning a confused look from the brunette.

"See," Farkle said in a 'told-you-so' tone.

"See what?" Riley asked, adjusting her purse on her shoulder after parting from the hug.

"Maya was worried that something happened to you," Farkle told her. "She went to your house this morning and you weren't there."

"Oh, sorry," Riley turned to Maya and apologized. "I left with my dad again. I'm sorry, I must have forgotten to text you."

Farkle shot a look at Maya and said, "I told you so."

"I told you so," Maya mocked Farkle with an annoyed expression. She turned back to Riley, "I'm just glad you're okay, Peaches. Just remember to text me next time."

Riley showed up to her morning classes. She spent lunch with her friends. Halfway through the lunch period, Riley got a message. She already knew it was from that damn unknown number. Her friends were all with her, so who else could it have been? She waited until her friends were lost in their conversations before she checked the message.

 _From Unknown  
_ _Lucas is only with you because he feels bad for you.  
_ _There's so many girls prettier than you and more normal than you.  
_ _You act like a child._

She spent the rest of lunch trying to act calm and act like her cheerful self. It kind of worked. She only talked when necessary or when someone was directly talking to her. But she couldn't handle this message. It was too much for her. So after lunch, when everyone had gone off to their different classes, Riley went home. She went home, ran straight to her room and cried herself to sleep. She knew she shouldn't be keeping this from her friends, but it was something she needed to deal with by herself.

"Something's up with Riley," Maya declared once they all got settled at Topanga's after school. They arrived at the bakery in hopes that Riley would be there, but she wasn't. Riley wasn't in any of her classes in the afternoon and no one knew where she was. Maya was annoyed that Topanga wasn't at the bakery either, because she was planning on asking her about Riley.

"Yeah, she's been awfully quiet," Zay remarked, "which is pretty nice."

Lucas rolled his eyes at Zay's comment.

"She skipped class today," Farkle said, "she never does that."

"I haven't heard from her since this morning," Smackle shrugged. "Last I saw her was during lunch."

"She's not answering her phone," Lucas announced with his phone up to his ear.

"Huh," Maya breathed. "She forgot to text me this morning. Did she text you?"

Lucas put his phone down and answered, "No. She didn't answer any of my texts today. That's why I tried calling."

"Huh, that's strange," Zay commented, "because she texted me this morning."

Lucas and Maya exchanged looks and turned to Zay.

"I'm kidding!" Zay confessed, raising his hands to defend himself. "Geez, y'all are too serious."

"He's the comedic relief," Smackle pointed out to the rest of the group. "Don't you get it by now?!"

"Right, and _you're_ the genius," Farkle answered sarcastically. Smackle shot him daggers. He smiled nervously and retreated, "I mean, yeah, you're the genius."

"I _am_ the comedic relief," Zay agreed, "but I'm also concerned about Riley. Like, genuinely concerned."

"So are we," Farkle and Smackle said in unison.

"I'm going to go talk to her," Maya announced as she stood up.

" _No_ , I'm going to talk to her," Lucas retaliated and got on his feet as well.

"I'm her best friend!" Maya said.

"I'm her _boyfriend_ ," Lucas shot back.

"Wow, big deal," Maya replied. She took a step closer to Lucas, "Listen, Huckleberry, I've been her best friend for like, ever. So I think she'd appreciate it more if I went to go see what's up with her."

Lucas would not normally react, but after deciding to change his passive ways, he couldn't help but to respond.

"I get that, Maya," Lucas said sternly, "but I'm her boyfriend so that makes me as equally responsible to check up on her."

Maya scoffed. Lucas didn't intimidate her. And when it came to her best friend, she would definitely not let him get to her. Maya didn't want to argue with the Texan, she wanted to see Riley.

"We'll see who gets there first," Maya stated as she ran out of the bakery.

Lucas exchanged glances with the remainder of the group. Farkle, Zay, and Smackle all gestured their heads towards the door.

"That's not fair, she got a head start!" Lucas said before rushing out of Topanga's.

Lucas somehow arrived at the Matthews apartment before Maya did. He was out on the fire escape trying to open the window. At first he thought it was stuck, but then realized that it was locked and that the curtains were closed. That was weird. The only time Riley would lock the window and close her curtains was when she wasn't home. But Lucas was certain that she was home. So, feeling defeated after fighting with the window, he went around through the front door. Cory let him in and asked permission to enter Riley's room.

He knocked on her bedroom door. No response. Lucas didn't bother knocking a second time.

"It's Lucas!" he made his presence known before he turned the knob and opened the door. Riley was tucked in her bed, sleeping. He turned on the lights and walked across the room to her bed. Lucas couldn't help but smile to himself at the sight of her peacefully asleep. He didn't want to, but he sat on the edge of her bed and lightly shook her awake.

"Babe, it's me," Lucas said softly, keeping his hand on her arm.

"Lucas?" Riley asked with a sleepy voice that Lucas found adorable. Her eyes were still closed. She rolled around her bed before she sat up and stretched her arms. She opened her eyes. "Oh. It's not a dream."

"You dream about me?" Lucas smirked. He dreamt about her, too, but it was always fun teasing her.

"Shut up," Riley gently hit his arm. "What are you doing here?"

Before Lucas could answer, there was a loud thud on the window. Lucas groaned. He got up and walked over to the bay window. He opened the curtains and saw Maya outside. He reluctantly unlocked and opened the window. Maya crawled into the room. Once inside, she got up and smoothed her clothes over with her hands.

"Riles, were you sleeping? It's seven thirty," Maya said, noticing Riley's state and disregarding Lucas. She walked past Lucas and stood in front of the bed. Maya shook her head and changed the subject, "Anyway, how ya doin', honey?"

Lucas cleared his throat, reminding Maya he was also in the room. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm okay…" Riley's voice trailed off. "I just wanna know why you guys are interrupting my sleep. I closed the window for a reason."

"Riles, it's seven thirty," Maya repeated.

"I just wanted to check up on you," Lucas explained. "You skipped class. You didn't answer anyone's texts. We got worried."

"Excuse me, Ranger Rick," Maya said, annoyed, before turning to Riley, "I was supposed to be here first, but I got distracted."

"Distracted by what?" Riley was confused. She didn't know what was going on. She just wanted to sleep.

"Josh," Maya replied dreamily and walked over to the bay window to sit. "He called me. He wants to hang out soon!"

"I still didn't get an explanation as to why you skipped class, Riles," Lucas persisted, walking over to Riley and once again sitting on her bed.

"I was tired," Riley said. "I didn't get any sleep last night."

"Is this still about that clown movie?" Maya questioned. She pointed a finger to Lucas, "You need to stop taking her to see scary movies. She gets restless."

Lucas ignored Maya's comment. He didn't want to bother telling her that it was Riley's idea to watch the movie.

"It's not the movie, is it?" Lucas asked knowingly. Riley shook her head. "Then what's wrong?"

"I don't know," Riley lied, covering her face with both hands. "I just couldn't sleep. It might be stress or something."

"Well, stress is a common thing for high schoolers," Maya replied. "I think it might be your essay. Take it easy, Peaches."

Riley nodded and then yawned.

"Yeah, you really do look tired," Lucas admitted. He was in no way trying to insult the way she looked. He cared about her wellbeing and wanted her to be well rested for school tomorrow. He didn't want her missing more classes. "If you need anything, call me, okay?" Lucas kissed Riley's forehead and brushed his hands through her hair. She nodded at his request.

"Oh, come on, Riles, you know you can call _me_ , right?" Maya got up and walked over to her best friend.

"Always, Peaches," Riley weakly answered, putting her arms out, requesting a hug from Maya. Maya leaned into the hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Maya asked. Riley nodded. Maya smiled at her before exiting through the window.

"Get some sleep, okay?" Lucas cupped Riley's face with his hands and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I love you, Riles."

"I love you, too, Lucas," Riley responded before letting herself fall back on her pillow. She covered herself with her blankets and watched Lucas as he locked the windows, closed the curtains, and exited the room.

Riley managed to get through the following school day. She received several more text messages from the unknown number, but after a visit from her best friend and boyfriend last night, she knew she couldn't show any weakness. Not when her best friends cared so much about her especially when she seemed off.

She ended up staying after school for a while to talk to her teachers in the classes she'd skipped yesterday.

"Riley Matthews," she heard a female voice from behind her when she was at her locker.

"Yes?" Riley answered and turned around.

"Missed me?" the girl asked, folding her arms across her chest and shifting her weight to her right leg.

"Missy Bradford," Riley whispered. She hadn't seen her since middle school graduation. She didn't even know that she went to school here.

"Did you get my messages?" she deadpanned.

* * *

 **Next: Riley's insecurities return.**


	5. Chapter Five

**So Riley faces her bully in this chapter. Just a fair warning, there is slight physical abuse. It's very minor, but it's there. Also there is some foul language. But I'm sure you expected these things in a T-rated fic.**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Five

Riley's eyes grew wide. It couldn't be. Missy Bradford couldn't be the one sending the text messages. There was no way. Though Riley had last seen Missy at graduation, her first and only interaction with her was in the seventh grade when Missy had a thing for Lucas.

"You," Riley said sternly, squinting her eyes.

"Yes, me," Missy nodded as she walked closer to Riley.

"I haven't seen you around here, Missy," Riley tried to be cordial. Her heart was racing and her body was shaking, but not enough for Missy to notice.

"Oh, I just transferred here," Missy informed Riley. That explained it.

"Welcome," Riley said, forcing a friendly smile.

"Stop your bullshit, sunshine," Missy demanded, inches away from Riley's face. Riley gulped. She hadn't seen this coming. "People have told me everything about you and Lucas."

"That's none of your business," Riley replied.

"It totally is my business," Missy argued. "I care about people. And when I see people settling for less than what they deserve, then I do something about it."

Riley didn't respond. Her anger was quietly boiling up inside of her. Her adrenaline was pumping. Her breathing got heavy.

"You're a piece of shit, you know that?" Missy stepped back and started pacing. "I really don't understand what Lucas sees in you. I would've thought that he would've gotten smarter over the years. It's because of you. You're holding him back, Riley. He has _so_ much potential. He just needs you out of the picture to realize that."

It was one thing for Missy to say bad things about Riley, but when it came to her insulting the people close to her, she got furious.

"You have no right to talk about Lucas like that," Riley stated, her voice getting louder. "You don't even know him."

"And you do?" Missy shot back. "Remember when he _didn't_ tell you he got expelled in Texas?"

"How do you know about that?" Riley's voice softened.

"Like I said, sunshine, people talk," Missy replied. "And it's only going to be a matter of time before Lucas hears about what people have been saying about you two. Then he'll dump your sorry ass. You guys aren't the perfect couple. Hell, you're not even perfect for each other."

"You're pathetic," Riley spat. Who was Missy to tell her about her own relationship?

Missy quickly reacted to the insult and grabbed Riley's right wrist and twisted it. Riley pursed her lips together to resist the pain.

" _I'm_ pathetic?" Missy echoed, tightening her grip on Riley's wrist. "You're the one who accepts affection from someone who doesn't even care about you. You need to grow up. Lucas doesn't want to be with you."

"You need to stop talking," Riley said through gritted teeth.

"Oh yeah?" Missy's face inched closer to hers. "Or else what? What are you gonna do about it?"

Tears started to well in Riley's eyes. Missy laughed when she noticed. She tightened her grip even more. Who knew Missy was so strong? Riley could almost swear that she was losing blood circulation in her arm. She stayed silent and tried to blink her tears away.

"Oh right, you _can't_ do anything about it," Missy taunted.

Riley still didn't speak up. Missy knew she had done her job. She released Riley's wrist from her grasp.

"See ya around, sunshine," she said. "Be on the lookout for my texts!"

Missy strutted down the hallway with a satisfied look on her face.

When Missy left, Riley allowed her tears to escape and trickle down her cheeks. Her breathing got uneven and she looked at her wrist, discovering a fresh bruise. She was crying partly because of Missy's words, and partly because of how much her wrist had hurt.

She took Missy's words home with her. She was able to ignore the texts from her, but when she was insulted in person, it hurt twice as much. Riley's previous bully in middle school had never confronted her and just bullied her from behind a screen, but now she's getting bullied in a more serious way. And Riley didn't know how to handle it.

Riley was glad that her family wasn't home when she arrived. She remembered them telling her that they would all be at Topanga's that afternoon. Riley had a small snack before going into her room. She changed her clothes and put on pajama bottoms and a long sleeve shirt to cover the painful bruise. She turned off her phone and left it on the dresser. She went into her walk-in closet to retrieve a box. She looked through the box until she found what she was looking for.

Her eighth grade yearbook. She removed it from the box and flipped through the pages until she landed on the superlatives pages. She found her photo and the caption written under it. She was voted most likely to smile herself to death. Riley scoffed. It was a title that made fun of who Riley was as a person. She turned the page. She saw a photo of Lucas and Maya, who was voted favorite couple back then. Riley groaned. She remembered a time when her classmates thought Lucas made a better couple with Maya than her. She always found this odd because they were the same classmates that pressured them into becoming boyfriend and girlfriend the first time.

The yearbook led her thinking about the triangle that had developed after their trip to Texas. All those glances that Lucas sent Maya's way. The dates where Maya would end up pouring a smoothie all over him. Lucas had to make a choice between Riley and Maya. Maya's beautiful, she's strong and independent. Riley couldn't help but wonder why Lucas hadn't chosen Maya instead of her.

Why did Lucas choose her? Did he just choose her because he knew she wouldn't be able to handle it if she didn't? Because Maya was more emotionally stable than Riley and handled rejection better? What if he only chose her to keep the entire group together? Riley had never doubted her relationship with Lucas before. But now that's all she could think about.

Riley broke down into tears for what she thought was the tenth time that day. She didn't feel like she was enough. She didn't think she was pretty, she still couldn't control her freakishly long legs, she wasn't good at anything. She was horrible at cheerleading and couldn't speak French or Spanish to save her life. She could think of a million reasons of why she didn't like herself.

Her insecurities were resurfacing and was getting the best of her. Over the years, she had gained confidence. She had grown into a wonderful, young lady, but she never got rid of her insecurities completely. She had learned to suppress them in the back of her mind, but she knew they were still there.

Missy was a horrible person. Riley always saw the good in everybody, and once in her life, she couldn't see the good in Missy. She didn't understand why Missy would do this to anybody, to hurt someone else purposely even when it didn't concern her. She also didn't understand why she was the target. It was so long since they had seen each other. So long, that Riley honestly forgot about her.

Riley cried hard. She so badly wanted to tell someone of her predicament, but she didn't know how to come about it. But at the same time, she didn't want to go to her friends with this, because she hated having them think less of her. Her friends knew her as the cheerful, bubbly one, not the easily hurt one who cared too much about what other people thought of her.

For the next couple of hours Riley just sat there, staring into nothing. She had stopped crying, but her cheeks were stained where her tears used to fall. She had to get herself together. It was almost dinner time and her family would be home any second. She needed to make it seem like nothing was going on with her, and that everything was okay.

She practiced her smile in the mirror, making sure it didn't look too forced. She heard the front door open. She took a deep breath and let out another smile before going to face her family.

* * *

 **Next: someone finds out Riley's getting bullied. Can you guess who?**


	6. Chapter Six

**Most of you guys guessed that Farkle finds out what's going on with Riley. Were you right?**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Six

Going to school the next week was tough for Riley. The physical and verbal bullying continued. She had earned new scars from her encounters with Missy. She had to cover up all the bruises either with her clothes or makeup so that no one saw them. And lucky for her, no one saw a thing.

She tried to avoid school, but it was hard, especially because her father was a teacher. She didn't want to get hurt anymore, she could only take so much of Missy's insults and strength. Riley didn't realize how strong Missy was, and it sucked that she had to experience it first-hand.

Riley was starting to get distant from Lucas. They would still spend time together, but their public displays of affection were very minimal. Lucas noticed this, but speculated that she was just stressed out, as that was her excuse now.

"Honey, wake up, you're going to be late," Topanga shook her daughter awake.

"I don't wanna go to school!" Riley whined, eyes still closed.

"Why not?" Topanga demanded.

"I'm _tired_ ," Riley whined. "Too much school work. It's getting the best of me, Mom."

"You can't skip school because you're tired, Riley," Topanga said. "Now we let it slide that you skipped last week, and it better not happen again, okay?"

"What's going on here?" Maya asked as she entered the room. She saw Riley still in bed. "Riles! We're going to be late for school!"

"I don't want to go," Riley repeated.

Maya and Topanga exchanged looks.

"You wanna deal with it?" Topanga offered. "I have to help Auggie get ready."

"I got this," Maya confirmed.

Topanga patted Maya on the back before leaving the room.

"Peaches, honey," Maya said sweetly, walking over to the bed. She peeled the blanket off her best friend's body.

"No," Riley huffed, sitting up and crossing her arms.

"You have to go to school," Maya insisted.

"You're Maya. You don't like school or anything it stands for," Riley reminded her. "Why won't you let me skip school?"

"Because you're Riley. You love school," Maya replied. "You won't let me miss it."

Riley stared off into space for a while, but she knew Maya was right, so she gave in. Riley got ready for school while Maya made her bed for her.

"You're the best, Peaches," Riley said, brushing her hair.

"I know, honey," Maya smiled.

Riley got through the morning because of Maya. The afternoon, however, was a different story. While in Spanish class with her best friend, she had asked for permission to go to the washroom. She lied, though. She didn't need to use the washroom. She just needed a moment to herself. Her mind was in a constant battle with itself, bringing up the texts that she didn't want to remember and the encounters that literally left reminders on her body. She walked out of the class and headed to her locker. She rested her forehead against the locker door. Once she had composed herself, she took a step back from the locker and was about to open it. But then, Missy appeared.

"Well, look who it is," Missy smirked.

Riley thought about running away, she really did, but she couldn't. She didn't want to be portrayed as weak, or someone who couldn't take a punch. And that's exactly what Missy did. She punched Riley square in the face, with no warning. At this point, Riley was sure that she was getting bullied solely for Missy's entertainment.

"Sunshine, you make this too easy for me," Missy said, pushing her to the ground before walking away.

Riley didn't get up. Instead she pushed herself to the lockers and leaned against them. She sobbed in her hands until she heard a familiar voice yell her name from down the hall. She looked up to see Zay running towards her, worry in his eyes.

"Sugar, are you okay?" Zay asked, offering his hand to help her up. She gladly took it. "I saw everything."

"You did?" Riley gulped.

Zay nodded.

Riley raised her hand to her face to press underneath her left eye. She let out a soft sound indicating her pain. She gasped, "Oh my god, do I have a black eye?"

"Yes, Sugar, you do," Zay confirmed, taking a closer look at her eye. He stayed calm for her sake. If he freaked out, it would only make it worse for her.

"You can't tell anybody," Riley put her hands on his shoulders, her sleeves slightly riding up to reveal multiple bruises. Zay noticed. "Please."

She removed her hands off his shoulders and pulled down her sleeves.

"Riley," he breathed. He didn't think she should keep this to herself. "I wish I could promise you that. Your friends need to know. _Lucas_ needs to know. Do you know how upset he would be to find out someone's physically hurting you?"

"Zay, please," Riley repeated desperately, her voice cracking. There were tears in her eyes. "No one can know. Not even Lucas. He'll just make things worse."

"Okay, okay," Zay agreed, "just don't cry. I don't do tears."

Zay hugged Riley. The comfort of her friend made her sob into his chest.

"How long has this been going on?" Zay questioned while rubbing her back.

"A while," Riley said, muffled.

Zay pulled away from Riley, looked at her and said, "Look, let's make a compromise. I'll promise not tell our friends about this, _if_ you tell them yourself."

Riley opened her mouth and was about to protest before Zay continued.

"I'm not saying you have to tell them today. I get that you need some time to yourself to process everything and think about what you need to do, but you need to tell them eventually. If you take too long, I'll tell them."

Zay was only trying to help. Riley knew that, and she appreciated that he was giving her a chance to tell everyone instead of them finding out from Zay. What a wreck that would be.

"Thank you," Riley said softly.

"Anytime," Zay answered. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Riley shook her head and new tears fell down her face.

"Can you walk me home?" Riley requested in between sobs, trying her best to avoid touching her black eye.

"We're in the middle of class," Zay reminded her. Riley didn't seem to care.

"Please?"

"Fine," Zay sighed. "Besides, we need to take care of that shiner."

Zay had grown close with Riley and the others in the years that he's known them. He was always there for his friends, and just because Riley was dating his childhood best friend didn't mean she was an exception. He's actually glad that he was able to spend time with Riley, it was very rare that they did. It reassured him that they weren't forced to be friends just because they both knew Lucas.

Riley had texted her parents and her friends, telling them that she had gone home early because of an upset stomach. She didn't need them to be worried about her, they all had their own issues in their lives.

Zay took Riley home and stayed with her to offer her support in her difficult time. They sat at the bay window and Riley told him everything. She told him who Missy was, her past with her and Lucas, assuming Lucas hadn't told Zay about Missy. She allowed Zay to read the text messages, and showed him most of her bruises that she had gotten good at hiding. Riley had to admit, it made her feel better to let it all out and tell somebody, but it made her feel guilty that Maya and Lucas weren't the first to know.

"Lucas never told me about Missy Bradford," Zay informed her, helping her place a bag of frozen peas on her eye.

"Really?" questioned Riley.

Zay nodded, "I guess she was irrelevant to him."

"She _is_ irrelevant," Riley agreed, shifting the bag of peas to more comfortably conform to her face. "But apparently, I am. I'm irrelevant, worthless, and a piece of shit."

"Don't say that about yourself," Zay said. "Lucas thinks otherwise. He loves you, Riley."

At this point, Riley didn't know what to believe anymore.

"I'm tired of talking about this," Riley groaned. "I just want to forget about all of this. But I can't do that when I have constant reminders all over my body. And now my face, too."

"Yeah, how are you even going to cover that?" Zay questioned.

Riley shrugged. She hadn't even considered how she was going to hide it. She was too focused on the pain it caused.

"I'll get to that problem when I come across it," Riley said. Suddenly, her phone rang beside her. She was hesitant to answer it because she was in the middle of a conversation with Zay, but when he saw that it was Lucas calling, he encouraged her to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Princess," Lucas said on the other line. "I got your text. How are you feeling?"

"Not that great," Riley replied. Well, she wasn't lying. "I think it might be food poisoning."

"That's no fun," Lucas commented. "I'd come over to comfort you but I'm stacked with homework."

"That's okay, babe," Riley said. "Education comes first."

"I'll call you when I'm done?" Lucas asked.

"Sure," Riley replied. She thought that maybe talking to Lucas would help her forget about the events that happened today.

"I love you," Lucas said.

"I love you too," Riley replied before hanging up. She turned back to Zay. "I feel kind of guilty that I didn't tell him you were over here."

"As jealous as Lucas gets, I don't think he'll be worried about me," Zay assured her.

"I used to get jealous when Lucas and Maya would spend time together," Riley answered, "and we all know how that turned out."

"What are you trying to say, Riley, you have a crush on me?" Zay joked.

"I'm just saying! He's a jealous guy and I'm an insecure girl." She nudged him and rolled her eyes in amusement.

"But really though, thank you for making me feel better," Riley said.

"Of course! You're my best friend's girlfriend, I gotta look out for you," Zay replied. "And me and you, we're also kind of friends."

* * *

 **Hm, did anyone see that coming? I really love Riley's relationships with all her friends so I'm trying to explore that more.**

 **Next: Riley and Lucas have a talk. Lucas and Zay have a talk. Riley and Josh have a talk. Zay and Riley have another talk. There's a lot of talking.**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Thanks for all the reviews guys!**

 **So some of you didn't like Riley getting physically bullied, but I** _ **did**_ **warn you about it in an author's note in a previous chapter. Anyhow, I didn't want to focus this whole fic on bullying, it was just a way to give Rucas some kind of conflict. I'll admit, I did kind of get carried away with the bullying aspect. But as of this chapter, Riley's bully is done with her. Trust me. From here on out, it will be more Rucas-centric and not so much Riley-centric. Enjoy!**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Seven

That night, Riley looked at her reflection in the mirror. She sighed.

"How am I going to cover this up?" she said, referring to her eye.

Riley walked over to her desk to grab a pair of scissors then returned to stand in front of the mirror. She grabbed some hair that framed her face and started cutting. She stopped when she was satisfied with the length. She had given herself relatively long bangs, stopping right underneath her nose. She swept her hair to the side to cover the affected eye.

The next morning, Riley was getting ready for school. She had put on a bit of makeup for the sake of covering her healing eye. The makeup worked quite well, it did a good job of hiding the discoloration of her skin, but upon closer inspection, it was still evident that she had some kind of trauma. She fixed her new side bangs, strategically covering her eye.

"Wow, Riley, new look?" Topanga said when she walked into her daughter's room.

"Yeah," she breathed. "I like it a lot."

"Me too, looks great," Topanga agreed. "Do you still feel sick?"

Riley shook her head.

"Are you voluntarily going to school today?" Topanga asked.

Riley nodded.

"Good," Topanga commented. She put her arm around Riley and kissed her hair. "I know high school's tough, Riley. But you'll get through it. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom. Thank you," Riley replied.

* * *

"Sunshine, I have a deal to make with you," Missy announced as she approached Riley at her locker.

The sound of Missy's voice made Riley tremble. Riley had developed a fear of Missy. But she turned to face her bully anyway.

"What is it?" Riley asked timidly, staring at her feet.

"I'll stop harassing you," Missy said, " _if_ you break up with Lucas."

"What?"

"Yeah, that's all you need to do. Then I'll be out of your life forever," Missy replied.

Riley never put herself before her friends. But she figured that maybe just this one time, it would be the best for both herself and Lucas.

"I'll do it."

Riley went straight home after school, rehearsing what she wanted to say to Lucas. She didn't want to break up with him, she really didn't, but if it got her out of the pickle she was in, she had to do it for the sake of her own safety. When she felt prepared enough, she picked up her phone and called her soon to be ex-boyfriend.

"Hey, babe!" Lucas greeted enthusiastically.

"Hey, can you come over?" Riley requested monotonously.

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be there in twenty."

Riley didn't bother to say goodbye and ended the call. She sighed. She didn't want to do this, but she knew she had to. It wasn't just for her benefit, it was for his, too. She still couldn't get Missy's words out of her head. Riley knew that Lucas was better off without her. She honestly felt that she was holding him back.

Twenty minutes later, Lucas entered Riley's room through the window. Riley was already sitting at the bay window. Lucas joined her.

"We need to talk," Riley began, not bothering to give him a proper greeting.

Lucas started to worry. His heart pounded so hard in his chest that he thought it was trying to escape his body. His palms were sweaty. Nothing good ever came after those words. Ever.

"About what?" Lucas urged.

"Us."

"What about us?"

Riley saw the concern in Lucas's eyes become more evident. They stared at each other with mutual worry. Riley took a deep breath. Lucas bit his lip.

"I can't do this anymore, Lucas," Riley admitted, quickly avoiding his gaze.

"Excuse me, what?" Lucas was taken aback from Riley's words. Was she breaking up with him?

"It's not the same anymore," Riley continued.

"What do you mean?" Lucas wiped his clammy hands on his pants before taking her hands in his. He couldn't believe that this was happening right now.

"I just don't feel the same as we did when we first got together," Riley shrugged.

"Of course you don't, babe," Lucas said. "That was almost two years ago. We've come such a long way since then. We've grown. But your feelings are still there, aren't they?"

"Please leave," Riley demanded, ignoring his question. "Don't make it harder than it already is."

"It doesn't have to be hard, Riles," Lucas said. He stared at her as she looked away. He could tell that tears were starting to form in her eyes. He couldn't help but fight back his own.

They sat in silence for a while. When he realized that Riley had nothing else to say, he sighed.

"For what it's worth, I still love you," Lucas informed her. He didn't expect her to answer.

Defeated, Lucas exited the way he came in. He was so dumbfounded. He couldn't comprehend what happened in there. Did Riley really just break up with him? He walked back to his home with his hands in his pockets. He contemplated about it the whole way there. When he thought about it, the break up wasn't completely out of the blue. He felt that she was being distant from him lately. And the fact that Riley didn't answer Lucas's question confirmed to him that maybe she did lose feelings. But his feelings were still there.

When Lucas arrived back at his place, he went straight to his room and called Zay.

"Hey, man, what's up?" Zay questioned.

"You'll never guess what just happened," Lucas groaned.

"What?"

"Riley broke up with me."

"You're kidding," Zay said in disbelief.

"Nope."

"I'm coming over."

Within the next ten minutes, Zay was at Lucas's door. Lucas opened the door for his best friend, who had his hands on his knees and was panting.

"Whoa, how'd you get here so fast?" Lucas asked.

"I ran," Zay said in between breaths. "This is an emergency. I had to get here as soon as possible. Let's go to your room."

Zay led Lucas to his room, as if it were his own house. But considering the amount of time Zay spent there, it might as well be.

"So, tell me what happened, bud," Zay said once he sat on the bed, patting the empty space beside him to invite Lucas over.

"She broke up with me," Lucas stated, sitting beside Zay. "She called me to come over and so I did and then she broke up with me."

"Did she tell you why she broke up with you?" Zay asked.

"She said she doesn't feel the same anymore," Lucas shrugged. "I kinda get it, I guess. I mean, we haven't spent too much time together lately."

"Was she sad when she did it?" Zay inquired.

"She couldn't even look at me after," Lucas replied. "She was holding back tears, I know that."

"Huh," Zay said. He looked down at his phone to check the time. "I have to go do something. I'll call you when I get home and then we can talk more, okay?"

"Alright, I'm going to go sulk in my sadness and eat ice cream," Lucas declared.

* * *

"I'll get it!" Riley announced when she heard the doorbell ring from her room. She was still sitting at the bay window. She cried after Lucas left. She wiped her face before getting up and leaving her room to answer the front door. It was her Uncle Josh.

"Niece!" Josh greeted and hugged Riley.

"Uncle Josh!" Riley smiled with tired eyes. She hadn't seen her uncle in a while. Maya had been seeing him more than she has. And he's her uncle. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and I wanted to visit my favorite niece," Josh explained as he entered the apartment and closed the door behind him. "Also, your dad invited me over for dinner. Haven't seen you guys in a while."

"Oh, good," Riley said. "I need to talk to you."

"What's up?"

"Bay window, bay window right now!" Riley declared, dragging her young uncle to her room.

Riley felt comfortable enough with Josh to voluntarily tell him about her situation. Although Josh was her uncle, the closeness in age gave them a strong bond.

"I have a bully," Riley admitted in one breath. She didn't bother saying 'again' because she never told Josh about the cyberbully from middle school.

"What?" Josh was shocked. How could someone hurt his niece? She was so precious, so pure, and saw the good in everybody! He just didn't understand.

"Yeah," Riley looked down at her hands. She hesitated to roll up her sleeves but she did, showing her bruises to Josh.

"What the hell!" Josh reacted. "Who did this to you, Riley? Do your parents know?!"

"Some girl at school," Riley answered with a shrug. "And no, they don't know."

"Why not? This isn't good, Riley," Josh said.

"I know, I know!" Riley replied. "My friends don't know either. Just Zay, he saw me get punched in the face yesterday."

" _Punched_?" Josh repeated, moving Riley's hair away from her face to reveal her eye. "Who is this guy? Does he know that it isn't socially _or_ morally acceptable to hit girls?"

"Actually, it's a _her_ ," Riley corrected him.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," Riley nodded. "Please don't tell anyone."

"Riley, your family and friends care about you," Josh assured her. "They need to know."

"Actually, they don't!" Riley said. "I fixed it. She won't be bullying me anymore."

"And how are you so sure?"

"Because I broke up with Lucas," Riley confessed.

"How does that help?" Josh clearly didn't understand.

Riley sighed, "She said if I broke up with him she'll stop harassing me."

"And you believe her?" Josh questioned.

"Yeah…" Riley's voice trailed off. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Riley spoke again, "Uncle Josh?"

"Yes, Riley?"

"Did I do the right thing?"

Before Josh could answer her, Zay entered through the window, startling the two.

"Geez, Zay!" Josh said, "You scared me!"

"Good," Zay replied, sitting on Riley's other side.

"Why are you here, Zay?" Riley asked.

"Lucas told me you broke up with him," Zay stated.

Riley sighed, "Can we not talk about this now? I'm kinda in the middle of talking to my Uncle Josh."

"Watcha talkin' about?" Zay inquired.

"Missy," Riley confessed.

"Missy is your bully? The one that liked Lucas?" Josh asked. Riley nodded to confirm.

"You told him? Oh, good!" Zay said, moving to sit beside Josh. "Can you tell her that she needs to tell her friends? _And_ her family? I think she's forgetting that her father is a teacher at our school and can easily get Missy the punishment she deserves."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Zay," Josh admitted. "If Cory does something about it then it's just going to add more fuel to the fire."

"How so?" Zay asked.

"Because Missy would come back," Josh explained. "And then she's going to see Riley as someone who's weak and needs her dad to do everything. It's just more bullying material, the way I see it."

"So what are you saying? You want Riley to confront Missy herself? Do you think _that's_ a good idea? Have you not seen her eye?!"

"I have seen her eye," Josh confirmed. "But I do know my niece can stand up for herself and handle things on her own. She's a smart young lady, I'm sure she knows what she's doing."

"Don't worry, Zay," Riley said. "I fixed things with Missy. She said she'll stop bothering me if I broke up with Lucas."

" _That's_ why you broke up with him?!" Zay snapped.

Riley nodded.

"You may have fixed things with your bully," Zay began, "but you're surely messing things up with you and Lucas."

"There's no 'me and Lucas' anymore," Riley responded.

* * *

 **Next: Zay tells someone of Riley's predicament.**


	8. Chapter Eight

**I posted this chapter the first time a few hours ago and it wasn't showing that it was updated so I wasn't sure if people saw this update or not. So I reposted it. I apologize if you guys got another email regarding this chapter. Been on this site for nine years now and sometimes I still don't get how it works, haha.**

 **Interesting conversation between Zay and another character regarding Riley's situation. Enjoy!**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Eight

"What do you mean?" Zay asked.

"That means Lucas and Riley aren't dating anymore," Josh said.

"Oh, shut up, Josh! I know what she meant!" Zay retorted.

"Then why ask?!" Josh replied.

"Guys, stop!" Riley interjected. "You both know I still love Lucas. That hasn't changed. But it's the best for both of us."

"Sugar, you can't be any more wrong," Zay disagreed.

"I agree with Zay," Josh said. "Sure, now you have no intention of telling him about Missy, but things are just going to go downhill."

"Why do you guys keep saying that?" Riley asked. "I know what I'm doing!"

"I don't think you do, niece," Josh shook his head, then pulled Riley in for a hug. Zay joined in, earning a look from the two.

"What?" Zay asked.

"Is Lucas upset or is he mad?" Riley questioned. "Not that I care…"

"You totally care," Josh smirked. Riley glared at him.

"I mean he seemed sad," Zay said. "Not sure if he'll be mad about it later. I left before I could find out."

"I hope this doesn't change things," Riley sighed.

"They are going to change, Riley, whether you like it or not," Zay said. "And that deal we made yesterday—just because you think you fixed things doesn't mean I won't tell. You still need to tell them. Lucas too."

* * *

"I'm really worried now," Maya declared. The group had gathered at the Minkus residence. Farkle had gotten his hands on a new video game before its public release and invited the group over to play it. He invited Riley, too, but she didn't show up. "Riley's been MIA for days."

"Do you think something could be going on with her?" Farkle asked.

"Well, when I do get a hold of her she just keeps telling me she's busy with school," Maya shrugged.

"That's good that she's taking her studies seriously," Smackle commented.

"Yeah, but it's unlike her," Maya replied. "Even if she did drown herself in school work, she'd always make time for us."

"I mean, there's nothing she wouldn't tell us, right?" Farkle said.

"Well, I guess there's one thing she didn't tell you," Lucas spoke up. His friends stared at him, urging for him to continue. "She broke up with me. So I don't count on her being here."

"What?!" his friends exclaimed in unison, even Zay, just to make it seem like he was hearing about it for the first time.

"She broke up with you and she didn't tell me?!" Maya said. Lucas shrugged.

"So what happened?" Smackle inquired.

"She broke up with me the other day," Lucas admitted. "She said she doesn't feel the same anymore."

"That's all she said?" Farkle asked.

Lucas nodded.

"Well, I'm pissed she didn't tell me," Maya declared. "So basically she's just been avoiding us because of Huckleberry over here."

"I guess," Lucas replied. He had no energy in him to argue with her.

"I don't wanna pick sides!" Smackle quickly said. She turned to Lucas. "I like you and Riley the same. Please don't make me choose sides."

"Relax, Smackle," Lucas said. "No one has to pick sides."

"You say that now, but us being here right now makes it seem like we're on your side," Maya explained.

"Riley not being here is her own problem," Lucas retorted. "She and I may not be together anymore, but that doesn't mean we can't all hang out together as friends like we usually do. I'm not going to avoid you guys if you're with Riley. That's immature."

"Someone needs to tell Riley that," Smackle commented.

Throughout the entire conversation about Riley's whereabouts, Farkle had been observing Zay. He noticed that Zay didn't contribute to the conversation at all, and that he seemed awfully nervous. Farkle supposed that Zay knew something that the rest of them didn't. Farkle waited until the conversation about Riley had died down and the others found other things to occupy themselves. Then, while everyone was distracted, he pulled Zay from off the couch and dragged him to a corner of his reasonably large bedroom.

"Zay, you seemed awfully quiet during that conversation," Farkle noted, squinting his eyes. Zay avoided Farkle's stare, trying to look at his surroundings instead.

"I had nothing to say," Zay shrugged.

"You looked uncomfortable," Farkle continued.

"Sometimes I get anxious about things," Zay replied.

"You know something," Farkle concluded.

Zay didn't reply. Farkle continued to stare at him.

"Okay! Stop looking at me like that!" Zay sighed and gave in. "Riley was getting bullied."

"What?"

"Yeah, she told me not to tell," Zay replied. He pointed a finger at Farkle's chest. "And _you_ can't tell either. Let her deal with it and when she's ready she'll come."

"You _idiot_!" Farkle exclaimed. "Why did you give her that opportunity? Remember when I tried that when she was hiding her feelings for Lucas for Maya's sake? That didn't work out. We _have_ to tell the others."

"Well, excuse me for trusting in the girl," Zay replied, offended. "She has _so_ much trust in us. Shouldn't we trust her, too?"

Farkle knew Zay had a point.

"Besides, that was so long ago," Zay continued, "I'm sure she'll come around."

"Fine," Farkle demanded. "But you need to tell me the details. I have a right to know."

"You all have the right to know," Zay sighed. "But if I tell you, you also have to promise not to tell. And please don't go to Riley about this. She'll kill me."

"Zay and I are going to get snacks!" Farkle announced to the occupants of his bedroom. He wanted to talk to Zay about this, but not with everyone in the same room.

"Popcorn please, dear," Smackle requested, turning around to lovingly look at her boyfriend.

"Got it," Farkle said before dragging Zay out of his bedroom. They made their way through Farkle's large apartment and entered the kitchen. They sat at the kitchen island to talk.

"Tell me everything," Farkle demanded.

"Well…" Zay's voice trailed off. He didn't know where to start. "So this Missy girl—"

"Missy?" repeated, unintentionally interrupting his friend. "As in, _Missy Bradford_?"

"Ah, yeah, that's the one!" Zay confirmed.

"Missy Bradford is bullying Riley?" Farkle asked.

" _Was_ ," Zay corrected the genius.

"What do you mean, 'was'?" Farkle questioned.

"You wanted me to tell you the whole story right?" Zay asked. Farkle nodded. "Then stop interrupting me, man!"

"Oh, sorry," Farkle replied sheepishly. "I just feel tense knowing that Riley's going through this again."

"So _anyway_ ," Zay continued. "A couple of weeks ago, Riley started getting texts from this unknown number, telling her how worthless she is, and that she doesn't deserve Lucas and whatnot—"

"Is that why she broke up with Lucas?!" Farkle concluded, once again interrupting Zay.

"Shut up and let me finish!" Zay snapped.

"Geez, sorry…" Farkle muttered to himself.

"At first, Riley ignored the texts, but then they kept coming and she couldn't stop thinking about them. She didn't want to tell us because she didn't think it was that serious. She just shrugged them off even though it hurt her a little. And then one day she stayed after school to talk to her teachers about stuff and when she was at her locker, guess who showed up.

"Yeah, that's right. Missy. So Missy showed up and basically told Riley that she was the one sending her the mean texts. She didn't faze Riley at first, so Riley retaliated verbally. But then I guess Riley got under her skin and so Missy reacted and grabbed her wrist and twisted it so hard she got a bruise.

"So then I guess that's when Riley started fearing Missy. And then I guess Missy fed off of Riley's fear or whatever because she continued to bully her—verbally _and_ physically. Riley got a lot of bruises. I felt so bad for her. Oh yeah, and then the day I found out… I was just walking down the halls during class because I needed to stretch and then I turned the corner and I saw Missy _punch_ Riley in the face!

"I waited until Missy left because no one was in that hallway except for them and I didn't want her knowing that I saw that. So I went up to Riley when Missy left and she was crying and covering her face. Then when I finally saw her face she had a black eye! So then she begged me not to tell anyone but I couldn't so that's when I made the deal with her. And then she didn't want to go back to class so I took her home.

"So I stayed with her and comforted her and that's when she told me everything and she even showed me the texts. Then she showed up to school with long bangs. She cut it to cover her black eye because she didn't think makeup would cover it completely. And then the other day Missy approached Riley again—not to hurt her or anything, but to offer her a way out.

"She said that if Riley broke up with Lucas, she'd stop bullying her. And so she broke up with him. And at first, when she told me this, I thought she was being irrational because it's not guaranteed that Missy would stop. But I haven't heard anything about it since then, so I can confirm that Missy actually stopped. But now we have a bigger mess on our hands. Riley's just embarrassed and ashamed about the whole thing so she's been avoiding the group. She's been talking to me about stuff, though."

As Zay explained the situation, Farkle started to understand why Riley acted the way she did and why she did things. Everything was starting to click.

"That explained a whole lot," Farkle said, stunned. "I mean, she's smart for not telling Lucas. I get that he has the same right to know as the rest of us but you know how he can be. He would've freaked out, and that probably would've been a bigger mess."

Zay nodded in agreement.

"So what do we do?" Farkle asked.

"We wait," Zay replied. "There's nothing else we can do. She'll figure it out."

"But if she takes too long, we're still telling?"

"Duh."

* * *

 **Really though, even if Zay didn't tell Farkle, he would've figured it out himself. I wonder if Lucas will.**

 **Next: Nature club's annual trip to Mount Sun Lodge. Rilaya fluff.**


	9. Chapter Nine

**I wanted to get this up sooner, but I have midterms coming up so I haven't had much time to focus on this. Also this is kind of a filler chapter. I just wanted to show how Riley's doing post-bully. And how Riley and Lucas react to each other post-breakup. Next chapter will move things along.**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Nine

The members of the nature club all gathered at the front of Abigail Adams, waiting for their bus to Mount Sun Lodge. Cory, Shawn, and Katy were standing near the front doors, going over a checklist Cory had made for the trip. Cory had recruited Shawn and Katy to chaperone the nature club's annual trip. Topanga and Josh would usually tag along with Cory to chaperone, but they were busy that weekend. Topanga had a huge case she was working on, and Josh had upcoming midterms to study for.

This was also the first time in a long time where Maya and Riley talked.

"Peaches, I missed you," Maya said, dropping her bags beside Riley's.

"I missed you too, honey," Riley replied. "I'm sorry if we haven't hung out lately. I've just had a lot on my mind and I've been busy."

Maya nodded, "I get that. I'm just glad to have you back."

Riley hugged Maya tightly.

"So, uh, Lucas told us you guys broke up," Maya awkwardly informed her.

"Oh, right…" Riley's voice trailed off. She assumed that Lucas told their friends, because she hadn't. "Can we not talk about that right now? I promise I'll tell you everything, but for now I just want to spend time with you. With all the things I'm going through lately, it's nice to know that some things haven't changed."

Although Maya and Riley told each other pretty much everything, they respected each other's privacy, believe it or not. So Maya wasn't too worried, she knew Riley would come around. She was just glad things were starting to get back to normal with her.

As the two friends talked, Zay, Farkle, Smackle and Lucas approached them. Lucas protested and didn't want to go with them, but Zay reminded him that he said he didn't mind if she was with the group. Lucas remembered what he said, but seeing Riley and being this close in her vicinity since they broke up, made his knees feel weak. He still loved her and although it wasn't a messy breakup, he still felt some kind of hate towards her.

"Who's ready for some nature fun?" Zay asked enthusiastically, mostly to avoid discomfort. Riley and Lucas didn't look at each other.

As if on cue, the school bus pulled into the parking lot and stopped in front of the school.

"Alright, kids, time to board the bus!" Cory announced as he clapped his hands. Riley took a sigh of relief that her father had interrupted what otherwise could have been an awkward conversation no thanks to Zay.

Everyone grabbed their bags and formed a line in front of the door of the school bus. Shawn was already on the bus to help the kids put their bags on the shelves above the seats. Students boarded the bus, one by one, as Cory took attendance. Katy stood at the back of the line to make sure no one got left behind.

Riley and Maya sat beside each other on the bus, as expected. Maya took the window seat because she liked it better, so Riley ended up with the aisle seat.

"I'm excited for this weekend!" Riley said, resting her head on Maya's shoulder as the bus began to move. "I can't wait to be out in the fresh air surrounded by all the trees and its changing leaves."

"Oh, honey, you're so pure," Maya commented, petting her best friend's hair.

"I know," Riley smiled, closing her eyes. "How have you been, Peaches? How's everyone else?"

"Honestly, we've been worried about you mostly," Maya replied. "We had no idea what was going on or why you were avoiding us. Then when we found out you and Lucas broke up, I assumed that you weren't avoiding us, but you were avoiding Lucas."

"I'm not avoiding him, Maya," Riley opened her eyes and looked up at Maya. "I told you I have things going on and I don't really need a boyfriend right now."

"Riles, you guys dated for like two years, what changed?" Maya asked. She knew Riley never gave up on Lucas so easily, so the spontaneous breakup was questionable.

"Sh, I'm sleeping," Riley replied, closing her eyes again.

Maya didn't protest, she let Riley sleep during the bus ride to the lodge. Maya leaned her head against the window and put in an ear bud to listen to music from her phone. She tried to fall asleep, but she couldn't so she just observed. Eventually, Riley had shifted so that her head was in Maya's lap, which Maya didn't mind.

At one point, Maya noticed Lucas, who was sitting on an aisle seat a few rows in front of them, look back at a sleeping Riley several times. Maya furrowed her brow.

"Lucas keeps looking at you," Maya informed Riley, shaking her a little to wake her.

"I don't care," Riley replied groggily, her eyes still closed. Maya started playing with Riley's hair. "Tell him to stop."

"As if he'll listen to me," Maya huffed.

"Keep him away from me this weekend, okay, Peaches?" Riley requested. "Maybe then I'll hang out with the group again."

"Wouldn't it be better _not_ to avoid him? So you'll be used to hanging out with everyone when he's there?" Maya suggested.

"Um, no," Riley replied flatly. "I don't care if it's not logical to avoid him. I just want to hang out with you this weekend. And the others. But not him."

"Whatever you say, honey," Maya answered. Maya had no problem with keeping Riley away from Lucas, in fact, she hoped that this weekend would make up all the lost time when Riley would ditch her for her then boyfriend.

"I'm in Rileytown this weekend," Riley declared. "And the population? You and me, Peaches."

"Oh, words can't explain how much I missed you," Maya said, hugging Riley's head. "Please don't leave me with those people again."

* * *

"Wow, nothing's changed since I was last here," Shawn commented as he entered the lodge, carrying his, Katy's, and Maya's bags.

"Nope," Cory agreed, following behind Shawn.

Cory went to the front desk to check in and get the keys for everyone. Once checked in, Shawn helped Cory distribute the room keys to the students. When everyone was told their assigned rooms, they all dispersed to put their bags away.

"So this is the infamous ski lodge," Katy said. Katy, Shawn, and Cory were sitting by the fireplace while they waited for the kids so they could start their first activity.

"Yup, this is the place that almost cost Cory and Topanga their relationship," Shawn informed her.

A boy walked by them who looked to be about their kids' age. He headed towards the front desk and replaced the lady who checked them in. Shawn noticed the boy bared a striking resemblance to someone he once knew.

"Wait…" Shawn's voice trailed off, "is that—"

"Yup," Cory confirmed even before Shawn could finish talking.

"Lauren's son?" Shawn asked.

"Yup," Cory repeated.

"Who's Lauren?" Katy questioned.

"You didn't tell her?" Cory asked Shawn.

"It's not my story to tell," Shawn pointed out.

"Well, we have time," Cory said as he looked at his watch. He knew the kids were going to be late anyway. He gestured to Shawn and offered, "Feel free to add to the story."

"Of course," Shawn nodded.

Katy motioned for Cory to start the story.

"So it was our senior ski trip," he began. "I fell off the school bus and broke my ankle. I—"

"So sorry to interrupt," Katy said. "but you fell off the bus, who does that?"

"That's what I said!" Shawn agreed.

It took Cory a while to tell the Lauren story, he explained all the nitty-gritty details. Once he finished telling Katy the story, all the students had gathered in the lobby, prepared for their activities.

"Come on, Dad, time for the hike!" Riley informed her dad, grabbing his arm.

"Okay, okay, let's go," Cory said to everyone, walking over to the front desk. "Evan here will be our guide for this hike."

Evan smiled and nodded.

"I know most of you, so this hike should be fun," Evan said, rushing everyone out the door.

* * *

Riley and Maya were inseparable, attached at the hip, a sight that no one saw much of anymore because of when Riley was dating Lucas. They had their laughs and enjoyed themselves on the hike and the other activities they did. Zay even joined the duo for much of the day, which raised curiosity in Lucas, who stuck by Farkle and Smackle in case anything happened to them.

Spending most of the day out in nature, everyone was glad to be back inside. They had dinner in the dining hall and returned to the lobby to watch a movie.

Riley had found comfort in Zay after the day he found her in the hallway with a black eye. She liked that his sense of humor always shone through even in the worst situations. So she sat beside him during the movie when she noticed Lucas didn't. Maya sat with her on her other side.

Lucas couldn't help but keep his eyes on the unlikely pair instead of focusing on the movie. They were never this close, he thought. His imagination getting the worst of him, he leaned over to Farkle and whispered, "What's going on over there?"

"What do you mean?" Farkle answered. Lucas gestured his head towards his ex-girlfriend and best friend, who seemed to be laughing at some joke a character made in the movie. "Oh, that? Relax. They're just friends, you should know that."

"I don't know what I know anymore," Lucas sighed. He thought his relationship with Riley was going great, being together for almost two years, but then she broke up with him out of the blue. Riley and Zay having feelings for each other wasn't that far of a stretch with the way Lucas's life was going lately.

"Shut up and enjoy the movie, will ya?" Smackle barked softly, her eyes not leaving the screen.

* * *

"What was that, man?" Lucas snapped at Zay once they returned to their room that night.

"What was what?" Zay asked in confusion.

"You and Riley!"

"What do you mean?"

"You guys sat together during the movie," Lucas replied. "Why?"

Zay understood what Lucas was concerned about. He smirked to himself. Zay knew Lucas still had strong feelings for Riley, and seeing her with him made him angry.

"Why are you smirking? The bro code is serious stuff," Lucas continued.

"Before you go Texas Lucas on me, let me tell you two things," Zay began. "First, me and Riley are just friends, you should know that of all people! Second, because we're friends, we're allowed to sit beside each other, okay? Don't get all jealous over nothing."

Lucas apologized for jumping to conclusions.

"I've never seen you so riled up over a girl," Zay commented, sitting on his bed. He silently chuckled at his lame pun.

"She was my first girlfriend, Zay," Lucas reminded him. "We have a special connection—or _had_. I miss her. But I can't tell her that. She dumped me."

Zay sighed. He knew both sides of the story, and was peeved that he couldn't tell Lucas why Riley broke up with him just yet. His friends were unhappy, and he needed to find a way to make everything better. If it wasn't Riley's job to fix things, it was Maya's, and if it wasn't her, it was Farkle. But it's Riley's problem and Maya and Farkle were out of the loop, so it was up to Zay to fix them.

"I haven't talked to her about the breakup," Zay lied, "but I'll tell you what. I've noticed the way she looked at you today during the hike. She definitely still has feelings for you, no matter what she says. I can try to get you two back together, if you promise me one thing."

"Promise you what?" Lucas was intrigued. He very much so wanted Riley back. No matter what it took.

"Don't get jealous if I spend too much time with her," Zay replied.

"Fine," Lucas answered.

* * *

 **At this point, I have completely changed the direction that I wanted this story to go. I'm sure you'll like what I have now better than what I had originally planned. Thanks for all your support guys! I enjoy reading your reviews.**

 **Next: Nature club trip continued. Rilaya confrontation. Lucas seeks guidance from someone unlikely.**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter! Now that Riley and Maya have reunited, Maya has a lot of suspicion in regards to the Rucas breakup.**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Ten

The next morning, Cory, Shawn, and Katy woke up at 4:30 am to knock on everyone's doors to wake them up. The first activity of the day was a morning hike that took place at 6 am on a trail that led to the top of one of the mountains.

Riley was already awake when Katy knocked on the door. Maya, on the other hand, was still asleep. Riley opened the door to see Katy, and promised that she would wake Maya up. Katy thanked her before moving on to the next room.

Riley reluctantly walked over to Maya's bed and started to shake her awake.

"Peaches, it's time to wake up," Riley said softly. She knew using a loud, aggressive voice would just piss Maya off, and she needed her in a good mood today.

"Five more minutes, Mom," Maya replied sleepily, turning over to her other side.

"It's Riley," she corrected. "And since when did your mom start calling you Peaches?"

Realizing her mistake, Maya slowly sat up with her eyes still closed. She could barely keep her head up.

"Ever since that time my mom imitated you," Maya answered. "She's been calling me Peaches a lot lately because I told her that you've been distant."

"That's sweet, I love your mom," Riley gushed. "Now get up. We're going on a morning hike to see the sunrise from the top of the mountain."

"Ooh, that sounds pretty," Maya commented, finally opening her eyes. She suddenly seemed fully awake. "That could be my next painting!"

"It could," Riley nodded. "Now go get dressed so we don't miss the sunrise!"

"Let me take a quick shower, Peaches," Maya requested.

"Fine."

After Maya showered and got ready, she was towel drying her hair while Riley put her hair into two Dutch braids.

"Hey, Riles," Maya began, standing beside Riley in front of the mirror.

"Yes, Maya?"

"You know I respect you, right?"

"Yes, of course," Riley answered. "I'd be offended if you didn't."

"Alright, so don't get offended with what I'm about to say," Maya said.

Riley nodded, gesturing for Maya to continue.

"I know you don't want to talk about Lucas and you want to avoid him—"

"You've been doing a good job from keeping me away from him, by the way," Riley interrupted.

"Yes, right," Maya continued. "But you know we have to talk about it sometime. And I think that time is now."

"I don't wanna," Riley whined.

"I know it's bothering you," Maya pointed out.

"Not really," Riley shrugged.

"Are you sure?" Maya raised a brow.

"Well…" Riley's voice trailed off. "What did Lucas tell you guys?"

"That you broke up with him," Maya answered.

"That's it?" Riley assumed that Lucas would've told their friends everything.

"That's it," Maya confirmed, nodding her head. "He gave us no details. So why did you break up with him, Riles?"

"I just don't feel the same anymore," Riley shrugged, securing her second braid.

"What changed?" Maya pressed, putting her hair up into an effortlessly messy ponytail.

"I dunno, I feel like things changed," Riley shrugged again, biting her lip. She wasn't technically lying.

Maya didn't buy it. Riley was so invested in her relationship with Lucas, and Maya knew that. There was no way Riley just lost feelings unexpectedly like that.

"Riles, I don't believe you one bit," Maya announced, squinting her eyes at Riley. "But I'm not going to force the truth out of you. The truth has a funny way of revealing itself, y'know."

"Maya…"

"You know I love you, Peaches. But you're being ridiculous. You love Lucas. I think you're just scared because you guys are getting serious. What happened to hope? Hope's for suckers but you're an exception."

"That's what you think? That I'm scared?" Riley questioned.

"It's the only logical thing that makes sense to me in this situation," Maya confirmed. "Although I could be wrong, it's what I think right now. It could change, depending on how much more information I get."

"You're not getting any more information from me," Riley said.

"Like I said, the truth has a funny way of coming out," Maya repeated.

* * *

Following the morning hike, everyone got free time before the next activity. They all stayed outside, admiring their surroundings. Zay had invited Riley to collect leaves with her. Farkle and Smackle were identifying different trees while Maya channeled her inner spider-monkey and climbed them. Lucas sat on a bench, watching his friends. He shifted his gaze on each of them from time to time, but he seemed to focus his stare on Riley and Zay mostly. He thought about the promise he made to Zay last night, to not get jealous. But he couldn't help it. Seeing Riley that close with another guy angered him, and he didn't care that Zay was one of his best friends.

He could feel his blood boil. He clenched his fists. His breathing got slow and heavy. Whenever his anger got to this point, that was when he learned to calm himself down. So that's what he did. He used the trick Riley had once taught him. Once he was somewhat calm, he decided to go back inside. He figured that being in their presence would relapse his anger.

Lucas stopped at the entrance of the lobby, where he could see Evan checking in some guests. He reluctantly walked over to the front desk and waited in line. He couldn't believe he was going to ask Evan for advice. Evan, the guy he was jealous of two years ago because he stayed up all night talking to Riley.

Once the guests in front of him had left, he stepped forward.

"Um, hey, Evan," Lucas awkwardly greeted.

"Lucas," Evan said.

"Can we talk?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, sure," Evan replied. He walked around from behind the front desk and led Lucas to the couches.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Evan asked.

"You still want to be a Sherpa, correct?" Lucas questioned.

"Yes, of course," Evan nodded.

"So then help me get somewhere I need to be," Lucas requested.

"Well, where do you want to be?" Evan pressed.

"With Riley," Lucas pursed his lips.

"I figured," Evan commented. "I haven't seen much of you two together. And even yesterday during the hike I took you guys on you seemed distant."

"Well, yeah, we broke up a bit ago," Lucas admitted.

"What? Why?" Evan was surprised to hear of the news. With the way Riley had talked about Lucas the first time they met, Evan was sure that they would stay together forever. But things changed, he figured.

"I dunno," Lucas shrugged. "She said it didn't feel the same anymore."

"That sounds like a bunch of crap," Evan remarked. "What did you do wrong?"

"That's what I wanna know," Lucas sighed. "I've been the best boyfriend in the world. I mean, how could I not be? Especially with a girl like her."

"Yeah, she's something special, I'll admit," Even agreed.

"Mmm, no, don't talk about her like that," Lucas scrunched his face.

"Geez," Evan said. "If you didn't do anything wrong, then what's the problem?"

"I have no idea!" Lucas replied. "But now on this trip she's been spending a lot of time with Zay."

"And that makes you jealous and angry?" Evan assumed.

" _Furious_ ," Lucas corrected. "I can't believe he would do that to me!"

"So, let me get this straight," Evan said. "You think Riley broke up with you because you think she may have feelings for Zay and that Zay might like her back?"

"That's the only thing that makes sense to me," Lucas confirmed. "I mean, doesn't it seem suspicious that they're spending so much time together now that me and her are over? They were never this close."

"I don't think you should be jumping to conclusions," Evan said.

"And why not?" Lucas retorted.

"Remember what I said two years ago, when we played _Who Belongs with Who_?" Evan asked.

Lucas nodded and replied monotonously, "You mean that fake game you tricked us all into playing?"

"Yes, that one," Evan confirmed. "Conversation is the most important part of any relationship. Relationship of any kind, romantic or platonic. I mean, how are you going to know somebody or see eye to eye with someone if you don't talk and listen?"

Lucas didn't answer.

"Just food for thought," Evan added with a shrug before getting up and returning to the front desk.

Lucas drowned in his thoughts for a while before returning outside. Instead of joining his best friends, he went to go join Yogi, Darby, and Sarah, friends he hadn't seen much of.

For the rest of the trip, Lucas couldn't shake his thoughts out of his head. His trust in Zay seemed to decline by the second. Sure, Zay told him that he'd get him and Riley back together. But it sure didn't seem like Zay was making any progress. From Lucas's standpoint, it seemed that Zay was flirting with Riley, and Riley didn't seem to hate it with the way she'd react.

* * *

 **I thoroughly enjoyed writing the conversation between Lucas and Evan. I liked their interaction in SL2, and I wanted to see what it'd be like if Lucas was civil with him.**

 **Next: Riley confesses. But to who?**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**More Rilaya and Zarkle conversation! I apologize for Lucas's absence in this chapter. But I'll make it up to you guys in the next. I promise. Enjoy!**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Eleven

Following their trip to Mount Sun Lodge, Riley had vowed that she was going to get over Lucas. Or at least try. Even though she was way off of Missy's radar and her bruises have healed quite nicely, Riley feared that the minute she got back with Lucas, the bullying would continue. So she just gave up on him. It was hard, seeing him at school all the time, but she somewhat managed.

Maya still didn't believe it. She could tell Riley still had strong feelings for him. And every day Maya would come up with new reasons of why Riley did what she did. None of them ever came close to the truth. She didn't bother trying to get the truth out of Riley, she knew it would just annoy her and push her away. So she played along and did whatever Riley asked her to.

Zay had told Farkle that he wanted to get Riley and Lucas back together. And letting everyone know why Riley broke up with him was Zay's first order of business.

"We need to tell Lucas," Zay said as he and Farkle entered Cory's classroom. They were ten minutes early, so the classroom was empty.

"But what about your promise?" Farkle asked. He and Zay sat down at their designated seats.

"She's not planning on telling him anymore," Zay replied, keeping an eye on the door to make sure no one walked in and heard their conversation. "Just because the bullying stopped she thinks she doesn't have to tell Lucas because they broke up. But I told her I'm still going through with the deal. So we're going to tell him."

" _We_?" Farkle looked at him with wide eyes.

"Yes," Zay confirmed. "I've known him forever but I still need help tying him down."

"Look, I don't want to deal with Texas Lucas," Farkle said.

"Farkle," Zay said sternly. "We need to do it for Riley and Lucas, okay? I'm tired of having to lie to Lucas whenever I hang out with Riley. He keeps getting jealous and thinks that me and her have some kind of affair going on. He's getting angry because he thinks I'm ditching him for her."

"Fine," Farkle caved. "I miss hanging out together as a group."

"Should we be worried that Missy will continue to bully Riley if she finds out?" Zay asked.

"Who's bullying Riley?" Smackle suddenly appeared and sat behind Farkle.

"Oh, nothing, dear!" Farkle quickly retreated, not even realizing she had entered the classroom. Smackle squinted her eyes at him for a few seconds before Farkle broke. "Someone was bullying Riley but now they stopped because they told Riley to break up with Lucas!"

"Farkle!" Zay said, slamming his hands on his desk.

Farkle turned to Zay, "I'm sorry, Zay, I had to tell her!"

"You were doing so well up until now," Zay muttered. " _Women_."

"Tell me everything, beloved," Smackle sternly demanded, disregarding Zay's comment.

Farkle sheepishly looked at Zay and shrugged. Zay sighed and gave him permission to tell Smackle. Farkle told Smackle the basics of the situation, as he didn't have enough time to tell her the whole story because class was about to start and the rest of the students would be piling in.

* * *

Zay and Farkle crawled in through Riley's bedroom window after school. Riley was lying on her bed on her stomach, typing away on her laptop. She turned to look at her friends. They sat at the bay window.

"Hey, guys," she greeted weakly.

"Alright, I'm just gonna get straight to the point," Zay stated before taking a deep breath. "I told Farkle everything, and before you get mad at me—"

Before Zay could continue explaining himself, Riley sat up on her bed and interrupted him.

"You told Farkle?!" Riley exclaimed, breathing heavily.

"I told him a while ago," Zay informed her, "before the ski lodge trip."

"Riley, don't get mad," Farkle said.

"I can't even if I wanted to," Riley replied in annoyance, her breathing returning to normal.

"You're welcome for telling him," Zay said.

" _Wait_ ," Riley stated firmly, realization hitting her. "Did you tell—"

"No ma'am, just Farkle," Zay confirmed. Farkle nodded.

"But Smackle overheard us talking about it at school today…" Farkle's voice trailed off. "I couldn't help it so I told her."

"But we're here to persuade you to tell Maya," Zay quickly chimed in before Riley could say anything. "She already thinks something's up with you."

"Honestly, I was planning on telling her today anyway," Riley replied. "I'd rather her find out from me. At the ski lodge she kept asking me about Lucas and she didn't like my answers. Then she said the truth has a funny way of coming out. So now I'm paranoid that she'll just find out. And with the way this is going I feel like the entire school will know before her."

Riley shot her friends a death glare.

"Sorry," Farkle and Zay said in perfect unison.

"It's whatever," Riley retorted, shaking her head. She got up from her bed and stood in front of the two.

"What about Lucas?" Zay inquired. "Are you planning on telling him?"

"No, I already told you this," Riley replied. "It doesn't concern him anymore so why bother?"

"It does concern him!" Zay retaliated.

"You only think it doesn't because you're trying to get over him," Farkle stated, "which isn't working, by the way."

"Yeah, I see how tense you get in class," Zay said. "You know he's sitting behind you and it makes you nervous."

"Does not," Riley argued, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Whatever you say," Farkle replied. "I notice it too."

"Can you guys just leave so I can tell Maya?" Riley requested nonchalantly.

"Fine, but you better tell Lucas," Farkle retorted.

"For the last time, I'm _not_ telling Lucas!" Riley replied.

Zay and Farkle looked at each other, shrugged, and exited her room through the window. Riley was left in confusion. She shook her head to get her out of her daze and texted Maya to come over. Within minutes, Maya was sitting at the bay window with Riley.

"Peaches," Riley smiled.

"Sweetie," Maya grinned. She knew exactly why Riley called her here. She finally broke her.

"I have to tell you something…" Riley fiddled with her thumbs, not breaking her stare with Maya.

"Go on, honey," Maya urged.

"I know you've been speculating that I still have feelings for Lucas," Riley began. "And you're absolutely right."

"I knew it!" Maya exclaimed, standing up and pointing at Riley.

Riley hung her head in shame.

"I totally knew something was up. You've never given up on him before," Maya replied, sitting back down. "It's so unlike you."

"And I don't want to give up on him," Riley answered truthfully.

"Then why are you trying to get over him?" Maya asked, before adding, "Even though that's not really working out in your favor."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?!" Riley remarked.

"Because of the way you act when he's in your vicinity," Maya answered in a 'duh' tone. "And also the way he acts around you. He still loves you, Riles."

"It doesn't matter," Riley replied. "We broke up."

"That's what I don't understand," Maya said. "Why break up if it's not something you both want? Lucas is miserable without you and he couldn't be any more annoying."

"Maya, I had no choice," Riley sighed. "I'm miserable too. You really think I wanted to break up with Lucas? I love him a lot."

"You have a choice, Peaches, I don't understand," Maya shook her head.

"Missy told me to break up with him," Riley confessed shyly.

"Missy Bradford?"

Riley nodded.

"What does that Missy chick have to do with anything?" Maya asked. "And why does she think she has some kind of power over you? I didn't even know she went to our school. I'm so confused right now."

"Because she did have some kind of power over me," Riley replied, tears forming in her eyes.

Maya donned a worried demeanor and immediately took Riley into her arms. Riley bawled.

"Peaches, what happened?" Maya whispered, slowly rocking Riley back and forth to comfort her.

"She bullied me, Maya," Riley said in between breaths. "She hurt me. She gave me a black eye."

"That explains the bangs," Maya muttered. She got slightly angry at Riley for not telling her sooner, but she got angrier at Missy for hurting her best friend. Maya ran her thumb across the skin surrounding Riley's eye where the black eye once was. "And let me guess. The only way out was to break up with Lucas?"

Maya felt Riley nod in her arms.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Peaches?" Maya questioned, resting her head on Riley's.

"It's not something I'm proud of," Riley replied in a muffled voice. She freed herself from Maya's grasp and sat up, wiping her tears. "It's embarrassing, Maya. She told me that I wasn't good enough for Lucas. She said I was holding him back and that he has a lot more potential. He deserves better."

"And you believed her?"

" _Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me_ ," Riley recited. "That's so stupid. Words do hurt. And yes, I did believe her. How could I not? She kept reminding me every second of the day."

Riley told Maya every little detail of what happened with Missy. She also told her about the whole thing with Zay and how he told Farkle and Smackle knew. Surprisingly, Maya didn't react too furiously upon hearing that some of her other friends knew about it before she did. Maya was just glad that Riley had gone to her personally.

"Did Missy keep her word?" Maya asked. "Did she leave you alone?"

"Yes," Riley replied softly.

"And you think moving on from Lucas is the next step?" Maya retorted.

Riley nodded.

"Well, you're wrong," Maya said.

"It's not like I can get back together with him," Riley answered. "It'll just get me back on Missy's radar."

"Forget about Missy," Maya said. "I doubt she'll come back after you. She's just jealous that you ended up with Lucas, okay. Don't let her insecurities turn into yours."

"Maya, I'm scared," Riley confessed. "Not about Missy. I'm scared that Lucas wouldn't understand. That's why he doesn't know. That's why I haven't told him. And he doesn't have to know because we're not together anymore. So why open a closed wound?"

"I highly disagree that this is a closed wound," Maya replied. "I don't even think it's healing. But I'm glad your bruises have. And you know what? I'm not going to force you to make things better with him if you don't want to. I'll support you no matter what. Just me and you, Peaches."

* * *

 **Thanks for all the reviews! Just a heads up, we're nearing the end of this fic. I have planned to get up to sixteen chapters right now, but that may end up being more. It all depends on if I get more ideas. Otherwise, chapter sixteen will be the last. BUT don't be alarmed, I have another Rucas fic in the works!**

 **Next: a chapter you've all been waiting for. ;)**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**I'm so excited for you guys to read this. Enjoy!**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Twelve

For the rest of the week, Farkle and Zay had planned to tell Lucas everything. Smackle was involved in the plan as well. Maya was supposed to be, but they couldn't seem to pry her away from Riley. It was comforting to know that after Lucas and Riley got back together, everything would be back to normal in their friend group.

The group, minus Riley and Lucas (obviously), met up at Topanga's that Friday afternoon.

"Thank you all for coming," Farkle said as Maya and Smackle sat at a table while he and Zay stood.

"This better be important," Maya stated, looking at her fingernails, uninterested. All but her knew about the plan. They still wanted her to be part of it, so they invited her anyway. Smackle pointed out that it was better this way, telling her everything last minute. That way, Maya would have no time to protest and would be forced to go along with it.

"Oh, trust me, it is," Zay assured the blonde. "It's about Riley."

Maya's eyes grew wide, "Is Missy bullying her again?"

"No," Farkle replied. "It's also about Lucas."

"We're gonna tell him," Zay announced. "Today."

"What, why?!" Maya snapped. "He's going to freak out and Riley's already fragile as it is!"

"He has a right to know, Maya," Smackle said.

Maya looked at each of them, realization hitting her.

"You're all in on this?!"

They all nodded firmly.

"Look, Riley's finally starting to get over him okay," Maya informed them, standing up.

"Yeah, okay. Sit back down," Zay scoffed. Maya sat back down, annoyed. "Riley still loves Lucas. Lucas still loves Riley. This whole breakup was because Riley thought it would be best for the both of them. She was protecting them. Now don't tell me that Riley's getting over him, because she's not."

"Okay, you caught me, I lied," Maya admitted. "I just missed her, okay? Getting them back together just means no more Riley and Maya time again. I mean, I do want them back together because I want Riley to be happy, but I also told her that I'd support her no matter what. And what she wants is to get over him."

"Riley's never going to get over him, you know that," Smackle pointed out.

"And don't be so insecure about your friendship with her," Farkle said.

"Peaches," Zay teased, putting a hand on Maya's shoulder. "You and Riley, your friendship's built on solid rock. Nothing will change that, not even Lucas. I don't know if you know this but Riley canceled a lot of plans with Lucas to hang out with you."

"Really?"

Farkle nodded, "Lucas told us."

"Riley told me too once," Smackle confirmed. Maya turned to look at Smackle.

"She told you and not me?" Maya stated. " _Why_?"

"Because she didn't want you to think that he was getting in the way of your friendship, Maya," Smackle explained. "Lucas was very understanding; he knows how important your friendship is to her."

"Yeah, now stop being selfish and help us," Farkle retorted.

"Fine. What's the plan?" Maya inquired.

* * *

"What am I doing here?" Lucas asked, sitting in a chair at the bakery while his friends surrounded him. "It's Friday night, I have things to do."

"Oh, as if you have plans," Maya scoffed. "You haven't been going out since Riley broke up with you."

Lucas rolled his eyes and ignored her.

"Maya, don't be rude," Zay snapped.

"What?" Maya turned to Zay. "I thought that was part of the plan?"

"It's not," confirmed Smackle.

"What plan?" Lucas raised a brow.

"Nothing, just shut up," Farkle replied.

"Geez," Lucas muttered. "Can we speed this up then?"

"Alright," Zay put his hands together. He put his hand out towards Farkle, palm up. Farkle pulled out the rope from behind him and placed it into Zay's hand.

"Um, what are you doing with that?" Lucas gulped.

"You talk too much, ugh," Maya groaned. "Just shut up and let him do what he needs to do."

"Zay…" Lucas sounded worried.

"Lucas, I love you man, but you need go along with this, alright?" Zay said as he made his way behind the chair Lucas was sitting on. He grabbed Lucas's wrist and pulled it behind the chair. He then tied his wrists together with rope.

"Is this necessary?" Lucas complained.

"Yes," his friends replied in unison.

"We'll make this quick," Farkle said. "Like ripping off a Band-Aid."

"Everyone knows you still love Riley and we know that Riley still loves you," Zay began, returning to stand in front of Lucas. "The only reason why she broke up with you was to protect you."

Before Lucas could ask questions, Farkle quickly continued, "Apparently Missy Bradford goes to our school and she was bullying Riley for a while. Like _physically_ bullying her. The only way out was to break up with you."

"Yeah that's basically the short story of it all," Maya nodded. So did Smackle.

" _What_?" Lucas asked, concern and annoyance evident in his tone of voice. He felt anger inside him. He clenched his fists and pursed his lips together.

"Farkle!" Zay snapped.

"Zay!" Farkle snapped back.

"We messed up," Zay said.

"How so?" Farkle asked.

"We used rope," Zay replied. He realized that back in Texas, Lucas was able to escape when Zay would tie him up with rope for fun.

"What, are we supposed to use chains next time?" Farkle said sarcastically.

"Guys, he's not an animal," Smackle said. "Using chains would be degrading."

"Could work better than towels or ropes," Zay shrugged.

Lucas didn't notice this exchange; he was too caught up in his thoughts. Riley was getting bullied again? And she didn't tell him? And she thought she could make everything better by breaking up with him?

Farkle made eye contact with Maya and nodded. It was a silent agreement that told Maya to go warn Riley while Farkle stayed with Zay to try to delay Lucas as long as possible before confronting the brunette.

"Come on, Smackle!" Maya grabbed Smackle's hand and dragged her out of the bakery.

Lucas's breathing was heavy and his adrenaline was pumping. With his built up anger, he pulled his hands apart from behind him, snapping the rope. He could feel the rope burn coming, but he didn't care.

"I think you forgot that I'm as strong as horse," Lucas said, standing up.

* * *

"Maya? Smackle?" Riley was sitting at the bay window watching as her two friends panted to catch their breaths. They entered Riley's room through her door, which raised curiosity in her, but then quickly noticed Smackle's skirt.

"You need to hide," Smackle instructed.

"Why, what's going on?" Riley asked.

"I don't know what caused Zay and Farkle to tell Lucas about everything, but that's what they're doing right now," Maya explained. "They had planned this beforehand, I just got dragged into it today."

"And we're here to warn you," Smackle added. "He'll probably be here soon."

"What?!" Riley reacted and quickly got on her feet. She started to panic. "What do I do?"

"You hide, honey," Smackle said. But it was too late. Lucas had already climbed in through the window. The girls had no time to barricade it. Farkle and Zay followed behind Lucas.

"We tried," Zay apologized for not giving the girls more time.

"He's stronger than me," Farkle reminded them.

"Strong as a horse," Zay mouthed, gesturing to Lucas.

"Riley," Lucas said sternly, his voice louder than usual. "I know you broke up with me but I still care about you. _Why_ did you keep this from me? We've been through this before, Riles. We promised that there would be no secrets between us."

Riley didn't respond. She stood behind Maya and Smackle for protection, trying to avoid his eyes.

"I can't believe you couldn't come to me with this," Lucas continued, his voice getting even louder. He had learned to control his anger over the years, but still, there were certain situations where he just couldn't keep it in.

"She has her reasons," Zay tried to help. Lucas ignored him.

"She didn't come to any of us until long after she 'resolved' things," Maya added, using air quotes. Lucas ignored her as well.

"I am _really_ mad at you!" Lucas yelled, anger evident in his facial expression. He took a step closer to her. Smackle and Maya stepped back and pushed Riley back further to her closet door. "I _hate_ when you don't tell me things. It makes me feel like you don't trust me! And I don't think I can trust you anymore."

Riley didn't like getting yelled at. She felt especially angry that it was Lucas who was yelling at her. She started to cry. Zay and Farkle walked across the room to console the crying girl along with Maya and Smackle.

"Well you've done it now!" Smackle replied angrily, throwing her arms in the air for emphasis.

Lucas didn't seem to empathize with Riley.

"Remember in freshman year when I told you that you were too much for me?" Lucas continued. He didn't care that Riley was crying because of him. He was just there because he had things he needed to say to her. He wasn't there to console her. "Yeah, well you're _way_ too much for me! I'm glad you broke up with me. I don't think I could've been with you any longer."

"Lucas, stop," Farkle insisted.

"Why should I?!" Lucas asked. "She hid this from me, from all of us! You can't tell me that you guys aren't even _a little bit_ upset that she didn't tell us sooner."

" _You're_ being too much right now," Zay said, disregarding Lucas's rant. Zay walked over to him and gripped Lucas's shoulder.

"Don't. Touch. Me," Lucas demanded, brushing off Zay's hand. "I'm not being too much, Zay. Riley is!"

Riley continued sobbing behind her friends. Her tears wouldn't stop, her breathing got uneven.

Lucas took a step closer to Zay.

"And you know what? I'm angry at you, too!" Lucas announced, poking Zay's chest. Zay stayed composed. He had seen this side of Lucas a thousand times. He's seen him at his _absolute_ worse. This was nothing compared to that. "I am _pissed_ that you knew about this for the longest time and didn't tell me! It made me go crazy thinking that you and Riley might've had something. Little did I know, you were comforting her. That was supposed to be _my_ job, Zay!"

Riley didn't want to be in Lucas's presence anymore. She couldn't stand all the yelling and the tension he caused. She wanted him out of her house before someone got physically hurt. In between sobs, she looked at her feet and demanded softly but sternly, "Lucas, you need to leave."

Lucas didn't blink. He just stood there. He had heard what she said, but he wasn't going to leave just yet.

"I don't care how cute you are, Lucas," Smackle said, "but don't take another step. Stay away from her."

"Smackle!" Farkle reacted to Smackle's somewhat compliment to Lucas.

"Now is _not_ the time, beloved!" Smackle replied.

"I'm not done talking," Lucas declared.

"You heard her, Huckleberry. _Leave_ ," Maya demanded firmly in a tone that gave her authority.

Lucas looked around the room. No one made eye contact with him. No one spoke up. He threw his arms in defeat.

"Fine," Lucas pursed his lips. He exited through the window. Zay followed him to the window and locked it when Lucas was gone.

Riley moved her hair away from her damp face.

"Thank you guys," she said weakly, plopping down onto her bed.

"It's what we're here for, Peaches," Maya replied, taking a seat next to Riley and rested her head on her shoulder.

"I know we've seen Texas Lucas before," Farkle stated, "but I've never seen him that bad with us."

"Oh, trust me, he can get way worse," Zay told his friends. He sat at the bay window. "We've gotten into a physical fight before. I got really bruised. He looked like I didn't even touch him."

"Zay, that's horrible," Riley commented.

"We've resolved that conflict, it's all in the past," Zay shook his head. "I know what and what not to do around him when he's angry."

"Yeah, I could swear he was going to hit you when he was yelling at you," Farkle said. "But anyway, Riley, how are you feeling?"

"I don't know, honestly," Riley admitted. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you all sooner about the bully. I was afraid that this would happen."

"You don't need to apologize," Smackle said. "What's done is done and the important thing is that we're here to pick up the pieces and make you feel better if you let us."

The others nodded in agreement.

"We're sorry that we told Lucas," Farkle said.

"But he needed to know," Zay added. "I told you I would tell if you didn't."

Maya lifted her head up off Riley's shoulder and wiped the stray tears falling down her best friend's face. Riley had finally caught her breath.

"It's okay guys. I know you're just looking out for the both of us. But what are we going to do about him now?" Even at times like these, Riley still cared more about her friends than herself. Though she wasn't quite sure if she and Lucas still stood as friends.

"I'll take care of it," Zay offered. He reached for the window to exit, but then he turned back to see his friends around a somber Riley. He decided that this was more important at the moment. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"Thank you, Zay," Riley said.

"Anytime, sugar," Zay replied, walking over to her to give her a tight squeeze.

"What we need to focus on right now is you, Riles," Maya said.

"I love you guys, you know that?" Riley sniffled. She put her arms out, requesting a hug from everyone. Maya was the first to accept, and one by one, the others joined the embrace.

* * *

 **So what did you guys think? I'm so proud of this one. I really liked writing this chapter, and I would say that this was my favorite! This is the longest chapter in this story to date. I wanted to separate this and include some of the Rucas confrontation in the next chapter, but I felt that leaving all of this in one was the best way to go.**

 **The next chapter should be up by the end of the week, I have two midterms this week to study for. Hopefully this long chapter will be enough to hold you over. Please review!**

 **Next: Zay knocks some sense into Lucas.**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Hey guys! I'm glad you liked the last chapter even though Lucas was being mean. Thank you for wishing me luck on my midterms! I don't have school next week so hopefully I'll be able to update a lot more frequently. Also it just hit me that this fic could be finished by the end of next week. So bittersweet. Here's another lengthy chapter!**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Thirteen

The next morning, Zay had gone over to Lucas's house. He needed to talk to him about what went down at Riley's yesterday. When Zay approached the front door, it opened as if on cue. Lucas's parents were just on the way out. They informed him that they would be in New Jersey for the day and to pass the message on to Lucas just in case he forgot.

"Dude, what the hell!" Lucas said when Zay barged into his room. Lucas had just woken up and was still in bed on his phone.

"I sure hope you're texting Riley on that phone to apologize," Zay commented, sitting down on the chair at Lucas's desk.

"What are you doing here, Zay?" Lucas asked, sitting up. "It's ten in the morning on a Sunday. Don't you have something better to do?"

"Yes, and I'm doing it right now," Zay replied. "We need to talk."

"If you're here to talk about Riley, I have nothing to say to you," Lucas warned, typing away on his phone.

"You're being difficult," Zay sighed. "We need to talk about it. You really upset her. You've never yelled at her before. What happened?"

"Well, she upset me," Lucas retorted childishly. He frowned. "We were supposed to trust each other, tell each other everything. She broke that trust. I never want to talk to her again."

"Lucas, go take a shower, make me breakfast and then we'll talk," Zay demanded. "It's going to be a long talk so I want you looking your best."

Lucas rolled his eyes.

Zay got up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Lucas sighed. He actually did want to talk to Zay about the whole thing. He wanted Zay to see things from his point of view and not take Riley's side. He also wanted to Zay to tell him the truth, if something was going on between him and Riley that was more than platonic. So Lucas did as he was told. He got up and made his bed before grabbing his towel and headed to the bathroom.

Zay waited in the Friars' living room.

"Alright, I'm decent," Lucas announced as he entered the living room with his arms spread.

"Now make me breakfast," Zay demanded. "Your parents are in New Jersey for the day, by the way. They told me to tell you."

"I remember," Lucas muttered. "Where's my sister though?"

Zay shrugged, "She was already gone when I got here."

Lucas groaned and led Zay to the kitchen. Zay sat at the island while Lucas prepared to make cheese omelets and tater tots for the both of them.

"So first of all, you broke your promise," Zay declared.

"What promise?" Lucas asked, turning on the deep fryer for the tater tots.

"You promised you wouldn't get jealous of all the time I spend with Riley,"

"Shut up," Lucas replied. "It pissed me off when you told me that you were the one who found Riley that day in the hallway with a black eye and that you comforted her. _I_ was supposed to find her. _I_ was supposed to comfort her."

Zay sighed.

"I wanted to tell you!" he said. "She promised me not to tell anyone. Farkle only found out because he noticed I was acting suspicious that one time we were having a group discussion about her. And Maya and Smackle found out not long before you."

"I don't care, Zay," Lucas replied. "You let me think that you guys had something between you!"

"I told you nothing was going on," Zay huffed. He crossed his arms over his chest. "You chose to believe otherwise."

"Well, I mean, it seemed really suspicious okay?" Lucas replied. "You talked to her a lot, and you never used to until we broke up. What was I supposed to think?"

"That's because I was the only one that knew about her situation," Zay explained. "She couldn't go to anyone else. If I hadn't found her in the hallway that day she would never have told me either."

"Still."

"Look, man, Riley was just trying to protect you. I'm really pissed that you yelled at her and that you made her cry like that. What was going through your head, Friar?"

"Hey, I'm pissed too! I was thinking that my ex-girlfriend was hiding things from me," Lucas replied. "It angered me. We were supposed to trust each other with everything."

"She had her reasons, Lucas!"

"She was being selfish," Lucas declared. "You were being selfish too."

"She was _protecting you_ ," Zay corrected. "And I don't like her that way! I wasn't trying to keep her for myself."

"I don't know who I can trust anymore, man," Lucas shook his head.

"You can trust _me_ ," Zay assured him. "You know, your _best friend_."

Zay knew it was going to take a while before Lucas had come to his senses, which is why he asked him to make breakfast. And with the way this conversation was going, he was already thinking about telling Lucas what he wanted to eat for lunch and dinner. He overestimated it, though, as Lucas had his moment of realization at around 3pm.

"What have I done…" Lucas whispered to himself. "I need to go apologize to Riley."

" _Finally_!" Zay commented and threw his arms in the air in victory. He was glad that Lucas finally came to his senses. It took him almost the whole day, but Lucas had a revelation. "Thought you were never going to talk to her again."

"Shut up. I know what I said," Lucas shot back. "Do you want me to go talk to her or what? I know I messed up."

"Yes, go ahead," Zay gestured to the door.

Lucas got up and made his way to his front door, but before he grabbed his jacket and turned the knob, he turned back to look at his best friend.

"Zay?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you were the one who found her," Lucas said calmly. "Thanks for taking care of her when I couldn't."

"Anytime," Zay nodded.

Lucas made his way over to the Matthews residence. He climbed up to the fire escape until he reached Riley's window. The window was locked. After the things he said last night, he didn't expect for Riley to keep her window unlocked. He took a deep breath and tapped on the glass. It took a while, but Riley opened it. Lucas looked at her with apologetic eyes, and with a sigh, she let him in.

Riley looked as if she had just finished crying. Fresh tear streaks were still apparent on her cheeks. She sat at the bay window and her unwanted visitor sat beside her, leaving lots of space between them.

"What are you doing here, Lucas?" Riley asked, wiping her face with her sleeves. "Aren't you mad at me?"

"Yes, I am… But I had a long talk with Zay about it. Come on, Riley, I'm here to apologize," Lucas informed her. "I'm sorry about the way I acted last night. I jumped to a lot of conclusions and I was angry that Missy hurt you. I know I should have acted with more self-control but you know how I get sometimes. I'm sorry for making you cry. Making you cry is the last thing I'd ever want to do and I'm sorry that's exactly what I did. I overreacted to the point that where it pissed everyone off, especially you. I didn't want that."

Riley looked down at her hands the whole time. She felt new tears pool in her eyes. She couldn't look at him.

They sat in silence for a while.

"Please say something," Lucas pleaded.

"You really don't deserve my forgiveness," Riley managed to mutter. "But I can't push you away anymore. I need you in my life, Lucas. You have every right to be upset with me. I get that. I just didn't really appreciate what you said to me, and how you said it."

"I know…" Lucas tried to make eye contact with her. She was still looking down at her hands, playing with them. "I don't want you to push me away either. I should be there for you, and even though we're both upset with each other, I should try to see where you're coming from."

Without any warning, Riley threw her arms around him and squeezed him. Lucas was startled at first, but gladly accepted the hug. He wrapped his arms around her, and she buried her face in his sweatshirt. She started to sob. He rubbed her back.

"I forgive you, Lucas," Riley finally said, looking up at him. Her brown eyes sparkled from the tears. She separated herself from him and returned the space that was between them.

"Really?" he looked at her with hopeful eyes.

Riley nodded.

"Then why are you crying?" Lucas asked. He stretched his hand out to Riley's face, using his thumb to wipe her stray tears. He could feel tears form in his own eyes. It hurt him to see her cry. And truth be told, it took everything in him yesterday not to cry either when Riley broke down.

"Because I'm sorry too," Riley replied. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Missy sooner, and I'm sorry that I made our friends promise not to tell you—"

"Well, they broke their promise," Lucas corrected.

"I'm glad they did," Riley answered, "but I still wish I was the one who told you."

"I get why you didn't," Lucas said, inching closer to her. He couldn't stand that there was so much space between them when she was in his arms only seconds ago. "But please don't be scared to tell me anything."

"Of course," Riley nodded. "And I'm sorry I broke your trust."

"That's alright," Lucas whispered. "I know you just wanted to do what's best for everyone involved. I understand."

"Are you still upset with me?" Riley asked genuinely.

"No," Lucas answered. "Are you still upset with me?"

Riley shook her head no.

They sat in silence as they enjoyed each other's presence. Lucas threw his arms around Riley and once again pulled her in for a hug.

"I love you, Riles," Lucas whispered into her ear. He hesitated to do so, but he realized he had nothing to lose at this point. The worst that could happen was her not saying it back.

"I love you too, Lucas," Riley mumbled, barely audible to Lucas.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Lucas leaned his head closer to hers.

"You know what I said," Riley wriggled out of his grasp successfully. "Don't make me say it again."

"Looks like we've fixed things between us," Lucas replied, standing up. "Guess I should give you some time alone?"

"No," Riley replied softly, tugging at his arm. "Please stay."

"Then I will," Lucas nodded. He quietly sat back down.

They sat the bay window for the next couple of hours. Riley decided to come clean and tell Lucas every detail of what had happened between her and Missy. She assumed that Farkle and Zay told him everything about the situation, but she still thought that he should be hearing it from her directly.

At around dinner time, Topanga entered Riley's room. She was caught my surprise when she saw Lucas.

"Oh, hi Lucas. Didn't know you were here," Topanga greeted. She turned to Riley, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Topanga and Cory were informed of the break up, and although they didn't understand the nature of it, they still supported Riley. Topanga so badly wanted to ask Riley what Lucas was doing in her room, but she chose to save it for a later conversation.

"Mrs. Matthews," Lucas nervously waved.

"Um, so dinner is ready, Riley," Topanga said. "Your father has a meeting with the school board and won't be back till later. Lucas, you're welcome to join us."

"Thank you," Lucas smiled.

Lucas and Riley followed Topanga to the kitchen to join her and Auggie for dinner. Dinner conversation wasn't as awkward as they thought. Auggie was thrilled to see Lucas and had done all the talking., asking what Lucas had been up to and why he hasn't been around much. Auggie wasn't notified of the breakup between Lucas and his sister, but had quietly wondered why Lucas hadn't been around as often as he used to. Lucas caught onto this, and played along, telling the boy that he had been busy with school and sports.

Once they finished dinner, Riley announced that she and Lucas were going back to her room to talk. Topanga gave her a look that communicated to Riley that she wanted the details later. Riley nodded.

"Um, hey," Riley said when she and Lucas returned to sit at the bay window. She put her hand on Lucas's forearm.

"Yeah?" he smiled at her touch.

"You told me you love me earlier, correct?" Riley questioned. Quickly adding, " _Love_ , as in the present tense."

"Yes, that is what I said," Lucas confirmed, nodding his head.

"And I said it back," Riley continued.

"Not sure, couldn't hear ya," Lucas shrugged with a smirk.

"I was thinking…" Riley's voice trailed off, tucking her hair behind her ears. "We both still love each other. And I didn't want to break up with you in the first place."

"Riley Matthews," Lucas gasped, placing his hand on his chest, "are you asking me to get back together with you?"

"Maybe," Riley sheepishly replied.

"Of course," Lucas answered. He kissed her on the cheek and took her hand in his. "I really missed you."

Riley rested her head on his shoulder.

"I really missed you, too."

They sat there again for the next few hours. They lost track of time as they were too busy catching each other up in their lives (as if they didn't keep track of it even when they were broken up), as well as Riley constantly apologizing for not telling him or her friends about her situation sooner. This resulted in Lucas constantly apologizing for yelling at her.

"You know, Zay told me that you thought me and him were a thing," Riley said.

Lucas groaned, "Can we not?"

"You're cute when you're jealous," Riley said. "Not cute when you're angry, though."

"Sorry."

"Also explains why at the ski lodge you didn't look like you were enjoying yourself," Riley observed. "Sorry I stole your best friend that weekend."

Cory suddenly barged into Riley's bedroom. He had heard voices, one that he didn't recognize as Maya's. He was surprised to see Lucas, much like Topanga was earlier, sitting at the bay window with his daughter. He donned a confused look.

"I thought you two broke up?" Cory narrowed his eyes and pointed at the two.

Riley and Lucas exchanged looks, then shifted their gaze back to Cory.

"Just got back together, sir," Lucas replied, taking Riley's hand and holding it up for Cory to see.

"Huh," Cory commented and then checked his watch. "It's midnight. Go home, Friar."

"Yes, sir," Lucas replied.

* * *

 **I didn't want Riley to cave in so quickly, but she just couldn't help herself. So yeah, now they're back together!**

 **Next: Lucas takes matters into his own hands.**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**So Lucas gets his confrontation and a character that I don't see in fics appears in this chapter. Enjoy!**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Fourteen

Lucas was happy that things between him and Riley were mended and that they got back together. However, for the rest of that weekend, all he could think of was how Missy had bullied Riley. He thought about the bruises that she'd caused and the emotional pain that Riley must have gone through. He knew that Riley and Missy were both over it, but he wasn't. He decided he needed to do something about it. A confrontation of some sort.

So, that Monday, right after lunch and right before classes, he wandered the halls of Abigail Adams High, in hopes that he would bump into his victim. And he did.

"Hey, Missy," Lucas called out to her when he noticed her frame. He walked down the hall and approached her.

The girl turned at the voice who called her name.

"Lucas Friar," Missy smirked. She scanned him from his head to his feet. "Puberty sure has been treating you well."

Lucas stared at her with a straight face.

"What brings you here?" Missy asked. "I have a boyfriend, you know."

Lucas scrunched his face, "If you have a boyfriend, why did you tell Riley to break up with me?"

Missy kissed her teeth and muttered, "I should've known that she told you."

"You really thought she wouldn't tell me?" Lucas cocked a brow.

"Well, no," Missy admitted. "She was putty in my hands. When I heard she broke up with you, I didn't think she'd confess."

"Missy, what's your problem?" Lucas pressed.

"I don't have any," Missy shrugged.

"Then why'd you bully Riley?" Lucas asked. "Did your insecurities tell you to pick on her to make you feel better about yourself?"

"Actually, _no_ ," Missy shot back. She put a hand on his shoulder. "I did it for you, Lucas. I know how much better off you are without her."

"You don't even know me," Lucas countered. He forcefully brushed off Missy's hand. "You have no right."

"Oh, come on, Lucas," Missy said as she started pacing. "We both know that she's holding you back. I heard that she wouldn't let you try out for the football team."

Lucas felt anger build inside him. Missy didn't understand his relationship with Riley.

"That's because it was for my own safety!" Lucas replied. "I have no experience in football whatsoever. I thought I was invincible, but she brought me back to reality. Besides, I'm not sure if you've heard, but I'm the star player on the baseball team."

"Whatever," Missy scoffed. "I still think she's holding you back."

"I don't understand, do you still like me or something?" Lucas questioned. "I haven't seen you in years and you think you know me. Riley and I have been together for like two years now. And I'm the happiest that I've ever been."

"I just want what's best for people," Missy replied. "Even you, Lucas."

"Have you ever thought about what was best for Riley?" Lucas asked sternly.

"Of course not." Missy snickered.

Suddenly, a boy approached the two. And Lucas couldn't believe who it was.

"What's going on here, Missy?" the boy asked, putting his arm around Missy. Lucas could only assume that this was her boyfriend.

"Billy Ross," Lucas stated.

"Lucas Friar," Billy replied.

"You go to this school?" Lucas asked. "I've never seen you before."

"It's a big school," Billy shrugged. "You have your own circle of friends, and I have mine."

"Billy," Missy said. "Lucas here was harassing me."

"Harassing you?!" Lucas replied. "Yeah, right. You were harassing my girlfriend!"

"You were harassing Missy?" Billy shook his head. "Not cool, bro. I thought we were friends."

Before Lucas could explain the situation, Billy had shoved him to the ground, earning a gasp from Missy. Lucas immediately got back up and retaliated, pushing Billy back. With the built up adrenaline in both males, they continued to retaliate against each other. Punches were thrown from both parties.

All the while, Missy tried to break up the fight. She didn't think it would get this far. Missy got anxious as interested students crowded them, encouraging for the fight to continue. They cheered the boys' names, some even placing bets on who would come out victorious. Missy began to worry; it didn't seem like the boys were going to stop any time soon. She stopped trying to get in between them, knowing it'll only hurt her in the process.

Among more students crowding the scene were Riley and Maya. They pushed through the crowd to get to the front, as Riley had a gut feeling that she knew who was involved. And she was right.

"Lucas?!" Riley exclaimed with a horrified look on her face. "Stop, stop this right now!"

"No, Huckleberry, keep going!" Maya encouraged, earning daggers from Riley. Maya turned to her best friend and asked, "What?"

"Don't encourage this!" Riley lightly hit Maya.

"I tried to break them up," Missy stepped towards Riley and Maya. The look of guilt took over her face. "But they just kept going at each other."

"Hey! Break it up," Mr. Jackson, the art teacher, instructed. He and Coach Bobby were made aware of what was happening and quickly rushed to the scene. They made their way through the crowd to get to the front. Mr. Jackson held back Billy while Coach Bobby took hold of Lucas. The two teenagers tried to escape to get back at each other, but were unsuccessful.

"There's nothing to see here," Coach Bobby said using a very loud voice. "Go to class, all of you!"

Everyone quickly fled the scene, leaving Missy, Billy, Lucas, Riley, and Maya behind. Mr. Jackson and Coach Bobby let go of the boys. Riley grabbed Lucas's arm while Missy did the same with Billy.

"Does anyone want to explain what happened here?" Coach Bobby asked, folding his arms over his chest. Lucas and Billy both looked at their feet and didn't say anything. The two had bruises on their faces and arms.

Riley tugged on Lucas's arm to try to get him to speak up, but he still didn't say a word. On the other hand, Missy was whispering in Billy's ear, trying to get him to say something as well.

"So no one's going to talk?" Mr. Jackson cocked a brow. "Alright, principal's office, both of you! Let's go!"

Riley and Missy let go of their boyfriends' arms. The boys were escorted by the two staff members to the principal's office. Riley gulped. She had just gotten back together with Lucas and things were supposed to go back to normal, and then this happened. Maya rubbed Riley's upper arm in an attempt to comfort her.

* * *

Riley and Maya, along with Zay, Farkle, and Smackle, made their way to Topanga's after school. Once they arrived, they sat at their usual spot.

"I haven't seen Lucas all day," Farkle commented.

Riley bit her lip.

"You didn't hear?" Maya asked, putting her leg over the other. "Ranger Rick got into a fight at school today."

Everyone looked surprised, except for Riley, who kept her worried expression intact.

"What?" Zay gasped. "What happened?"

"Riley, care to explain?" Maya turned to the brunette.

"What?" Riley shook her head. "I'm just as out of the loop as you are. I didn't even talk to him. He wouldn't say anything."

"So," Maya turned to the rest of her friends, "he got into a fight with Billy Ross."

"Who's Billy Ross?" inquired both Smackle and Zay.

"My old bully. He used to be friends with Lucas," Farkle muttered. He had a sudden thought. What if Billy was saying rude things behind his back and Lucas had heard and had gotten into the fight to defend him? "He didn't get into that fight because of me, did he?"

"I doubt it," Riley denied. "I'm sure it had something to do with me. Missy was there."

"Then how did Lucas end up in a fight with this Billy dude?" Zay asked.

"I'm pretty sure he's dating Missy," Maya replied.

"Huh," everyone commented.

"Guys, do you think he'll get expelled?" Riley asked with furrowed brows. Her voice was soft.

"It's a possibility," Zay answered truthfully, "I mean, he got expelled in Texas for the same thing."

"Don't scare the girl," Farkle chimed in. "I don't think he'll get expelled. His record is clean. The worst he'll get is a suspension."

"Hey guys," Lucas greeted as he approached his friends. He waved and sat down beside Riley, who immediately leaned in to him, prompting him to wrap his arm around her.

"I forgot they got back together," Zay said at the sight.

"I'm guessing you guys heard about the fight?" Lucas asked.

Everyone nodded.

"So what happened?" Riley questioned.

"Billy and I were stuck at the principal's office for the rest of the day," Lucas began. "Would've been sooner but neither of us wanted to say anything. I didn't want to cause any more trouble than I already have. I didn't think it was right to drag Riley into it with her Missy situation."

"What caused the fight?" Farkle asked.

"Ever since you guys came clean to me and told me what happened with Missy, it was all I could think about," Lucas explained, "I know it's been stupidly resolved but I felt the need to confront her. So I looked for her right after lunch. I started talking, she answered, we kind of got into an argument about Riley and then Billy showed up and pushed me. I got angry that he did, so I retaliated. And everything escalated from there."

"Lucas, you know fighting is never the answer," Riley whispered. "Even if it's on my behalf."

"I know," Lucas looked down. "I wasn't thinking. I got the anger get the best of me."

"Oh, you messed up," Maya said with an amused smile. "Riley, break up with him again!"

"Maya!" Lucas and Riley said in unison.

"I was kidding, sheesh," Maya replied.

"So what's your punishment, Lucas?" Smackle asked.

"One-week suspension starting Wednesday," Lucas informed his friends.

* * *

 **Two more chapters left guys! Tried to come up with more ideas but I didn't want to drag it out for too long.**

 **Next: Cory gets involved.**


	15. Chapter Fifteen

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Fifteen

The following day, news had spread quickly through the school about Lucas and Billy's incident. And of course, all the faculty and staff knew as well. When the news made it to Cory, he was shocked. But he also knew that for Lucas to have done something like that, he probably had good intentions. So he asked Lucas to come to his classroom at lunch to talk about the incident.

"So Mr. Matthews, what did you want to talk to me about?" Lucas asked, sitting in Riley's desk at the front of the classroom.

"Oh, I think you know exactly what I want to talk to you about," Cory retorted, sitting at his own desk.

Lucas hung his head in shame, "I was hoping you didn't hear about that."

"Of course I did; _everyone_ in the school knows about it!" Cory replied rather loudly. He then lowered his voice, "What happened, Lucas?"

Lucas looked up at Mr. Matthews and contemplated whether or not he was going to tell him the full story. But it involved his daughter, so Lucas felt obligated to tell him the truth. It was the right thing to do.

"Um, if it's okay with you, I'd like to tell both you and Mrs. Matthews," Lucas said meekly.

Cory scrunched his face, "Um, okay… Let's go then."

"Now?" Lucas asked.

Cory nodded, "It's lunch time. We have an hour."

"What if I miss class?" Lucas questioned.

"Lucas, I'd rather you miss one class now than you miss the entire week," Cory pointed out. "I heard you didn't even tell the principal what happened. You know I like you, Lucas, and I don't want my daughter's boyfriend being wrongfully punished. I'm sure you had good intentions getting into that fight. So I'm taking you home now and you're telling me and Topanga what happened."

"Okay," Lucas reluctantly agreed.

Cory took Lucas back to the Matthews apartment after letting the office know that he might be late coming back for his next class. He rushed inside to find Topanga in the kitchen on her laptop. She stayed home from work today to finish some last minute touches on her upcoming case.

"Hey guys," Topanga greeted, looking up from behind her screen. "What are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you both be at school?"

"He's here to talk to us, Topanga," Cory informed her. Topanga raised her eyebrows and looked very interested in what was about to happen. He turned back to Lucas, "Go ahead."

"Um, so I got suspended yesterday," Lucas began. "I got into a fight with Billy Ross. And Mr. Matthews wanted to talk to me about it. And I thought it'd be better if I told both of you."

"That's very mature of you, Lucas," praised Topanga, closing her laptop to focus on his story.

"Yeah," Lucas shyly smiled. "So basically I went to go talk to Missy Bradford about Riley."

"Missy Bradford?" Cory repeated. "What does she have to do with Riley?"

Lucas bit his lip and tried to not to avert his gaze from his girlfriend's parents.

"She bullied her for a while," Lucas reluctantly admitted.

"What?" a shocked Cory and Topanga replied with wide eyes.

"Yes," Lucas confirmed, "and it wasn't just verbal abuse."

"She hit her?" Cory assumed. Topanga couldn't say anything; she was too in shock that someone would do this to her little girl.

Lucas pursed his lips and nodded.

"Why didn't she tell us?" Cory whispered.

"She didn't tell any of us either, sir," Lucas answered. "I only found out the other day. But you guys have nothing to worry about! Riley handled the situation and Missy no longer harasses her."

"Oh," Topanga raised a brow skeptically, "and how did she manage to do that?"

"She broke up with me," Lucas replied. Before Cory and Topanga could ask why, he continued, "Missy had told Riley that she would leave her alone if Riley broke up with me. Why was I dragged into this? I have no idea. I still think that Missy wanted revenge on me for rejecting her all those years ago."

"That Missy girl is something," Topanga nodded. "But things are starting to make sense to me."

"Wait," Cory raised a palm. "What does any of this have to do with you getting into a fight with Billy Ross?"

"Cory, let him finish," Topanga said, putting a hand on her husband's forearm.

"Yeah, so Riley eventually told me about Missy even though it's been so long since she 'resolved' things," Lucas continued, using air quotes. "I understood the situation and then we decided to get back together because we never stopped having feelings for each other—"

"Yes, yes, I get it," Cory motioned for Lucas to get to the point. Topanga glared at him, to which Cory quickly retreated.

"I felt really mad about Missy bullying Riley, so I wanted to confront her about it. And that's when Billy Ross, Missy's boyfriend, stepped in and hit me," Lucas shrugged. "And I knew I had to defend myself and then the adrenaline kicked in and then it all escalated from there."

"So Billy started it," Topanga concluded.

"Yup, and Lucas here was just using self-defense," Cory nodded. "Alright. Now we just have to go back to school and talk to the principal and hopefully lighten your punishment."

"You really think it'll work?" Lucas asked.

"Never underestimate him," Topanga smiled. "And thank you, Lucas, for telling us the truth. I know how hard it must have been for you."

"It was, but anything for Riley, right?" Lucas returned the smile.

Cory turned to his wife with a grin on his face and pointed at Lucas, "I like him."

Lucas sheepishly smiled.

* * *

"Why are you late?" Riley turned back and whispered to her boyfriend.

"I was with your father," Lucas whispered back, motioning to Cory, who stood at the front of the classroom, writing on the chalkboard.

Riley turned back to the front of the room and slouched in her seat with a confused expression. What was so important that caused Lucas and Cory to be late to class? She didn't read too much into it, though. Maybe Cory had just decided to show his appreciation for Lucas and took him out to lunch? Who knows.

Cory began his lesson and the entire class seemed interested, except for Riley. She didn't seem into it at all, and she usually liked what her father taught even when it didn't relate to her and her friends' lives.

"Riley, you okay?" Cory asked in the middle of the lesson. Riley was staring at a fixed point on Cory's desk and looked obviously preoccupied in her thoughts.

"Yes, Dad," Riley snapped out of her daze. She turned to look at Lucas, who smiled at her, before sitting up properly in her seat.

* * *

"Lucas, why were you with my dad today?" Riley asked as the group sat at Topanga's. She had no problem bringing this up in front of her friends.

"He got my suspension reduced," Lucas announced. His friends seemed pretty pleased of his news. "I'm only suspended for three days. So I'll be back in school on Monday."

A mix of praise came from the group of friends.

"How did my dad manage to do that?" Riley urged.

"I told him it was self-defense," Lucas replied. "I mean; Billy did hit me first."

Riley raised her brow and looked at her boyfriend suspiciously. She could tell that there was something Lucas wasn't telling her.

"What else did you tell my father?" Riley questioned. "I'm sure he must've wanted more proof than that."

"I told him everything." Lucas replied quickly, hoping Riley wouldn't make out his words.

"You told my father about Missy?!" Riley was enraged. She didn't want him knowing. She was ashamed and scared of what might happen if he knew.

"Yes," Lucas tried to force a smile, but it didn't work with the way Riley reacted. "Missy's also suspended for the next three days. Oh, and I also told your mom." Lucas laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

"Lucas!" Riley yelled as she narrowed her eyes.

"Looks like that's our cue to go," Farkle said. The others agreed and all fled the bakery.

"Why would you do that?!" Riley forcefully hit him as hard as she could.

"Ow!" Lucas winced. "What was that for?"

"You telling my parents!" Riley replied. "How did you even find time to talk to them without me knowing?!"

"Mr. Matthews wanted to help me out," Lucas said. "He thought I was being wrongfully punished and asked me to tell him my side of the story. I thought it would be rude not to tell Mrs. Matthews, and then your dad took me back to your place at lunch so I could tell them both! If I hadn't told them, my suspension wouldn't have gotten reduced and Missy wouldn't have gotten a suspension either."

"I'm mad at you," Riley declared, turning away from Lucas and crossing her arms over her chest. "I didn't want my parents knowing, Lucas."

"I'm sorry, babe," Lucas said. He knew that calling her babe would make her less angry.

"I'm still mad," Riley announced, turning back to her boyfriend. "How did Missy get suspended if I wasn't there to testify?"

"I screenshotted and sent the messages to me when you showed me the texts on your phone," Lucas admitted. "That was all the proof they needed. Also, Billy confessed that Missy had been planning it for a while too."

"Guessing they broke up?" Riley asked.

"Probably," Lucas shrugged. He took Riley's hand into his. "Don't be mad, okay? I did it for the both of us. My suspension got reduced and Missy got what she deserved. Isn't that what we both wanted?"

"I'm not mad at you because of that," Riley admitted. "I'm happy that your suspension is only three days now. I would've preferred no days, but—"

"There's a no tolerance policy on fighting," Lucas reminded her.

"Exactly," Riley nodded. "And I'm hoping that Missy learned her lesson and never bullies anyone again. But I'm just mad that you told my parents. It wasn't your problem to tell. I wasn't planning on letting them know of the situation."

"And why not?" Lucas pressed.

"The same reason why I didn't want my friends knowing, but more extreme," Riley replied. "I didn't want my parents getting involved. And I didn't want them viewing me as fragile."

"Riley, you're one of the strongest people I know," Lucas assured her. "And your parents love you. They care about you, possibly more than we do, because your friends care about you a whole lot."

Riley nodded.

"But what I'm saying is," Lucas continued, "you never have to fight your own battles, okay? We're always here for you."

Lucas tucked Riley's hair behind her ear then cupped her face with his hands. He pressed his lips against hers, and he could feel her smile into the kiss.

"You always know all the right things to say," Riley said after parting from the kiss.

"I meant every word," Lucas nodded.

* * *

 **Just wanted to tie up some loose ends in this chapter. Anyway, the next chapter will be the last. I know, sad! But all good things must come to an end. Also, don't forget that I'll have a new fic out soon after I post the last chapter of this.**

 **Next, and last: Riley and Lucas talk about their feelings.**


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Here we are, the final chapter! Wanted to end off with some much needed Rucas fluff.**

The Art of Letting Go

Chapter Sixteen

Riley wasn't able to visit Lucas for the next two days while he was suspended. Lucas's parents hadn't heard the whole story and just assumed that Lucas was turning back into his old self and getting involved with the wrong crowd. He wasn't allowed to leave the house while on his suspension, nor have visitors.

On Friday, Lucas's parents allowed Riley to come over. They knew that if they didn't, Lucas would probably find a way to sneak out of the house to see her anyway. She rushed over to the Friars' as soon as she got out of school. She brought him all the school work he'd missed and brought him some tacos from Paco's Tacos, their favorite local taco shop.

"I talked to your parents," Riley said as she walked into Lucas's room. Lucas was sitting on a bean bag chair in front of his TV watching his favorite show.

"Hello to you too, Riles," Lucas greeted with a smile, pointing the remote to the TV to turn it off. He'd much rather spend time with Riley with no distractions.

"I brought tacos," Riley beamed, holding up the paper bag filled with several tacos.

"Thank you," Lucas said as Riley kissed her cheek.

Riley placed Lucas's homework on his desk and put the bag of tacos on his lap. She sat on the matching bean bag chair beside his.

"What'd you talk to my parents about?" Lucas inquired, opening the bag.

"I told them everything," Riley admitted. "I know they think you're turning into Texas Lucas again, but I thought that if I told them that it was because of me, they'd be more understanding. I'm surprised they let me come over today."

"Why did you tell them?" Lucas asked, evidently annoyed.

"Because you told mine," Riley shrugged. "It's only fair."

"Fair enough," Lucas titled his head. "And of course my parents let you come over. They know nothing would keep me away from you."

"You're welcome," Riley said, "they're not as mad at you anymore. They get that you were trying to protect me and that you getting involved in the fight was purely self-defense."

"Thank you," Lucas offered a smile. "They weren't too happy when I told them about the fight and my suspension. They were so mad that they didn't let me explain myself."

"I got you," Riley replied, squeezing his hand. "Always."

The two ate their tacos and shared some laughs. Riley caught Lucas up on what he had missed at school regarding their friend group. Lucas didn't miss much. Maya focused in art and Spanish class than any of her other classes, Zay was his same comedic self (though Lucas wasn't there to laugh at his jokes), and Farkle and Smackle stayed intellectually superior, as always.

"Auggie wanted me to thank you, by the way," Riley brought up.

"And why is that?" Lucas asked before taking another bite of his second taco.

"He overheard my parents and I talking about your situation," Riley explained. "So I told him what happened, leaving out necessary details, of course. He wanted to thank you for protecting me."

"How sweet," Lucas gushed. "Love that little dude."

"And he loves you too," Riley said.

They sat in silence for a bit, finishing their tacos. After washing it down with water that Lucas's mom had brought them, Riley bit her lip and looked very anxious about something. It didn't take too long for Lucas to notice his girlfriend's behavior.

"Hey, um, so," Riley said. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" Lucas urged.

"We promised to tell each other everything and be completely honest, right?" Riley asked.

"Of course," Lucas nodded, "I wouldn't want anything less."

"Alright," Riley said, "because I need to tell you about some feelings I've had. Now, this isn't bad. But you know about my insecurities, yes?"

"Yes, I do," Lucas confirmed. "I understand that you have insecurities but I don't get why. You're the most beautiful and sweetest girl I've ever met. You have nothing to be insecure about."

"That's thing," Riley said. "I have a whole lot of insecurities and I don't think I've told you most of them."

Lucas gazed into her eyes in interest, which prompted Riley to continue.

"I never thought I deserved you," Riley admitted. "I always thought you'd end up with Maya. Everyone seemed to want you two to end up together. I was jealous of that, being everyone's idea of the perfect couple. I used to compare myself to her for countless hours on end. I even thought about dying my hair blonde because you always considered her to be the blonde beauty.

"I tried to change my attitude to match hers. But it wasn't me. So I came to a conclusion that I was never the one that you wanted. And even that day at the ski lodge, when you had your moment, it took me by surprise, it really did, Lucas. But I was convinced that it was always me, like you said. The early stages of our relationship was magical. Then somewhere along the way, I heard our classmates spreading rumors that you only chose me because if you didn't, our whole friend group would fall apart and that Maya would take the rejection easier.

"Hearing that really hurt me. I cried about it for days. But then I flashbacked to all the times we spent together, all the conversations we've had, and it reminded me that I was never your choice, because there was never a choice to make. You always knew it was me. As our relationship went on, I learned to be more secure and not let people's opinions bother me. I was at my prime then, taking notes from our friends on how not to care so much about what other people think.

"Then we skip over to a couple of weeks ago. When Missy started texting me, it didn't bother me at first. But the more she kept insulting me, the more it got to me. And that's when a lot of my insecurities started to resurface. They were all coming at me at once, and I couldn't push them to the back of my mind. But I learned again, that people's opinions don't matter as long as I'm happy.

"Sometimes I wished I was more like you, you never once had a doubt in your mind about what you wanted and what made you happy. You never cared what others said about it, because you knew that it wasn't going to change your judgement. And I guess my insecurities stem from the fact that my parents are Cory and Topanga, the most perfect couple of their time. I guess I'm scared that I'm never going to live up to them in terms of their relationship. And now that I think about it, I know I won't. Because we're not Cory and Topanga, we're Riley and Lucas."

Lucas looked at her in awe. He knew about her insecurities but he never knew how deep they were. He didn't know what to say so he just pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back to comfort her. He never wanted her to feel like she wasn't wanted by him. He always made sure that his actions reflected his words, that it was always her and it would always be her.

"I'm letting go of those insecurities, now," Riley said, pulling away from the calming hug. "I don't want them getting in the way of my happiness and our relationship."

"Riley," Lucas breathed, intertwining his fingers with hers. "I'm not perfect either. I have my own insecurities in our relationship, believe it or not. I've only ever told Zay this, but I was always jealous of Charlie Gardner. For a while I thought you really liked him. He seemed really into you, Riley, and I didn't know if I was able to compete with him after the whole seventh grade semi-formal mishap.

"I never wanted to tell you when I'm jealous of someone, because I'm afraid that you're going to think that I'm going to turn into Texas Lucas. Like the first time we went to the ski lodge and you met Evan and you two talked all night. I was so angry, Riley. I had to let my anger out somehow so I went to go kick a tree. Every time I'm mad I feel like you're going to dump me because of my anger issues. But you've always been so supportive of me. You're always there for me. It's very rare to have someone like that at our age."

"I never knew you felt that way," Riley said, swaying their hands. "Sure, I hate it when you get angry. But I know you're trying to be better. You wouldn't let me help you if you didn't want to get better. You're such a nice guy and I'm so lucky to have you."

Riley gave him a quick peck on the lips. Lucas frowned at how short it lasted. Riley smiled softly.

"I'm really sorry, Lucas, for ever doubting you. For ever doubting us," Riley whispered, looking down at her hands.

"Don't you ever be sorry, Riley," Lucas said, lifting her chin to look into her eyes. "Now we should plan that two-year anniversary date we missed."

"I'd love that," Riley grinned.

Lucas cupped her face and pulled her into a deeper kiss than the previous one.

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading! You guys kept me motivated. Can't believe I wrote all of this in a month, I've never been so invested in a story I've written in a very long time. I'm glad you guys enjoyed this and I hope you continue to support me with my future work.**

 **My new Rucas fic, _Folie à Deux_ is up now if you guys wanna check that out!**


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